Description
A developmental psychologist evaluates the ways in which reading and writing have transformed the human brain, in an anecdotal study that reveals the significant changes in evolutionary brain physiology throughout history.
Publication
Thriplow : Icon, 2008.
Pages
xi; 308
User reviews
LibraryThing member wandering_star
Brains are amazing.
One of the most fascinating aspects of modern neuroscience (for a pop-science consumer like me) is that we are increasingly learning that things which seem very simple can actually involve multiple parts of the brain working in co-ordination. Apparently Capgrass syndrome, in
The relevance of all this is that Proust And The Squid is about what actually happens in our brains while we read, and it turns out to be tremendously complex. For readers of English, three different parts of our brains are involved in simply processing the words in front of our eyes (for more regularly-spelled languages like Spanish, it's two and for logosyllabic languages like Chinese or, apparently, ancient Sumerian, it's four).
Even more incredible is what happens immediately after that. If we read a random collection of letters, say 'mbli', the brain processes the letters then goes quiet; if it's a real word - like 'limb' - all sorts of connections start to fire. "The difference between the two arrangements of the same letters ... was almost half a cortex." In fact, at one point in this fascinating book, Wolf describes the brain processes which take place in the first half a second after a word is read. It takes eight pages.
And as fluent readers, we do this so quickly that we also have the mental space to think about what we are reading means - not just word + word + word + word. One of Wolf's points, in fact, is the way that reading helps the mind to open doors, to fire off other connections and thoughts. It's entirely appropriate, therefore, that this book made my mind spark trains of thought like fireworks.
One note: Wolf is not a popular science writer but an expert in the subject who is trying to write accessibly. She does so very effectively, partly because she can make the subject so fascinating. (I found the third part of the book, which deals with dyslexia, the most 'sciencey', probably because I was less interested in it than the first two - about the history of written language and then about the brain processes).
She also draws interesting conclusions from the science about childhood education, for example the long-term impact of 'word poverty' (by the age of five, some children from impoverished-language environments have heard 32 million fewer words than the average middle-class child) - important information for our educators in a week where it was discovered that almost 10% of eleven-year-old boys in the UK have reading problems.
I could keep going for hours with interesting thoughts from this book, but instead I will suggest that you read it yourself!
One of the most fascinating aspects of modern neuroscience (for a pop-science consumer like me) is that we are increasingly learning that things which seem very simple can actually involve multiple parts of the brain working in co-ordination. Apparently Capgrass syndrome, in
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which people believe that a close family member has been replaced with an identical imposter, comes about because the bit of brain which recognises that person is working, but the bit which provides the emotional connection has gone awry. Equally, it's only around the age of six that children can understand a phrase like 'left of the blue wall', and if you knock out an adult's language-processing ability by making them repeat nonsense phrases while they do the exercise, they can't locate something that's 'left of the blue wall' either.The relevance of all this is that Proust And The Squid is about what actually happens in our brains while we read, and it turns out to be tremendously complex. For readers of English, three different parts of our brains are involved in simply processing the words in front of our eyes (for more regularly-spelled languages like Spanish, it's two and for logosyllabic languages like Chinese or, apparently, ancient Sumerian, it's four).
Even more incredible is what happens immediately after that. If we read a random collection of letters, say 'mbli', the brain processes the letters then goes quiet; if it's a real word - like 'limb' - all sorts of connections start to fire. "The difference between the two arrangements of the same letters ... was almost half a cortex." In fact, at one point in this fascinating book, Wolf describes the brain processes which take place in the first half a second after a word is read. It takes eight pages.
And as fluent readers, we do this so quickly that we also have the mental space to think about what we are reading means - not just word + word + word + word. One of Wolf's points, in fact, is the way that reading helps the mind to open doors, to fire off other connections and thoughts. It's entirely appropriate, therefore, that this book made my mind spark trains of thought like fireworks.
One note: Wolf is not a popular science writer but an expert in the subject who is trying to write accessibly. She does so very effectively, partly because she can make the subject so fascinating. (I found the third part of the book, which deals with dyslexia, the most 'sciencey', probably because I was less interested in it than the first two - about the history of written language and then about the brain processes).
She also draws interesting conclusions from the science about childhood education, for example the long-term impact of 'word poverty' (by the age of five, some children from impoverished-language environments have heard 32 million fewer words than the average middle-class child) - important information for our educators in a week where it was discovered that almost 10% of eleven-year-old boys in the UK have reading problems.
I could keep going for hours with interesting thoughts from this book, but instead I will suggest that you read it yourself!
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LibraryThing member bragan
This book is divided in into three sections. In the first, Wolf focuses primarily on the history of writing and the evolution of different kinds of writing systems. Her main thesis seems to be that reading, unlike speaking, is a skill that does not come naturally to humans. It has to be learned,
The second section focuses on how children learn to read. Again, not a lot of actual neurological science here, except for one section on what happens in the brain as we read, which she seems to half-expect readers to skip as "too technical." She spends a lot of time talking about the stages kids go through as they learn to read, which mostly contains nothing particularly surprising. More interesting, or at least more important, are the impassioned points she makes about the importance that reading to small children has to their later literacy development, and the fact that this puts impoverished children without much access to books (or to adults with the time and ability to read to them) at a huge disadvantage. She also contends that reading expands kids' horizons and makes them more capable of empathy. It's not at all clear to me how much of that is based on any actual science, and how much on her own biases as someone who grew up as a reader. But as someone who also grew up reading, I am naturally inclined to agree with it.
Section three is about reading difficulties and dyslexia. This seems to be Wolf's biggest area of expertise, both personal -- she has a son with dyslexia -- and professional, and it's also the meatiest and most detailed. In this case, she does discuss a lot of what happens in the brain that (perhaps) causes dyslexia. There aren't a lot of answers here, as it's not all very well-understood, and dyslexia isn't even a very well-defined problem. But the questions themselves are interesting, as is her assertion that dyslexics tend to be creative in ways that would have put them at an advantage, rather than a disadvantage, in pre-literate societies and can still to some extent do so today.
Bottom line: It's not quite the book I was hoping it would be, but it was worth reading.
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which requires us to rewire the neural circuitry of our brains. There's remarkably little actual brain science here, though, as she discusses said circuitry primary in very broad, vague terms. Which I found a little disappointing. Still there is some interesting stuff in here. I particularly appreciated the insight that the alphabet, with its representation of individual sounds, is actually a pretty brilliant invention, not one that's intuitively obvious at all. There's also some thought-provoking discussion of Socrates' opposition to written language, and the extent to which his arguments are relevant today, as the reading of print books becomes increasingly replaced by the very different reading experience of the internet.The second section focuses on how children learn to read. Again, not a lot of actual neurological science here, except for one section on what happens in the brain as we read, which she seems to half-expect readers to skip as "too technical." She spends a lot of time talking about the stages kids go through as they learn to read, which mostly contains nothing particularly surprising. More interesting, or at least more important, are the impassioned points she makes about the importance that reading to small children has to their later literacy development, and the fact that this puts impoverished children without much access to books (or to adults with the time and ability to read to them) at a huge disadvantage. She also contends that reading expands kids' horizons and makes them more capable of empathy. It's not at all clear to me how much of that is based on any actual science, and how much on her own biases as someone who grew up as a reader. But as someone who also grew up reading, I am naturally inclined to agree with it.
Section three is about reading difficulties and dyslexia. This seems to be Wolf's biggest area of expertise, both personal -- she has a son with dyslexia -- and professional, and it's also the meatiest and most detailed. In this case, she does discuss a lot of what happens in the brain that (perhaps) causes dyslexia. There aren't a lot of answers here, as it's not all very well-understood, and dyslexia isn't even a very well-defined problem. But the questions themselves are interesting, as is her assertion that dyslexics tend to be creative in ways that would have put them at an advantage, rather than a disadvantage, in pre-literate societies and can still to some extent do so today.
Bottom line: It's not quite the book I was hoping it would be, but it was worth reading.
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LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
Our brains are not designed for reading. So it may seem remarkable that over thousands of years we gradually developed symbols and the rules for manipulating them that constitute a written language. Despite the fact that reading is not a natural ability, we obviously must gain a huge advantage
Maryanne Wolf presents this story of reading from the perspective of a neuroscientist, but rooted both professionally and personally in working directly with people burdened with dyslexia. Of course that burden itself is culturally enforced. Since no brain is designed, as it were, for reading, it can hardly have been an evolutionary disadvantage (at least throughout most of history) to not develop this remarkable skill. And indeed the evidence suggests that many of those suffering from the stigma of dyslexia have brains that are better designed, in terms of their wiring, for artistic or conceptual work. And so the effort to understand precisely what is going on in the reading brain is both an effort to ease the path for those who do not quickly attain fluency and to acknowledge that there are a wealth of equally valuable other paths that a “successful” brain might take.
This was a fascinating account told with humility and grace. It contains enough of the neuroscience to fully inform even the most ardent scientific reader, but enough of the humane aspects of what reading is and means to keep the reader focussed on what really matters. Recommended.
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through being able to communicate through written text. And it turns out that our brains adapt to this situation, deploying multiple abilities that work in concert and improve their efficiency dramatically over time in order to fully exploit our environment of written language. It is a story, both evolutionary and socio-cultural, that borders on the unbelievable. Yet it doesn’t come to the fore until we encounter and have to deal with individuals whose brains have not developed along the lines that lead to reading efficiency. For the dyslexic, reading can be a gargantuan challenge.Maryanne Wolf presents this story of reading from the perspective of a neuroscientist, but rooted both professionally and personally in working directly with people burdened with dyslexia. Of course that burden itself is culturally enforced. Since no brain is designed, as it were, for reading, it can hardly have been an evolutionary disadvantage (at least throughout most of history) to not develop this remarkable skill. And indeed the evidence suggests that many of those suffering from the stigma of dyslexia have brains that are better designed, in terms of their wiring, for artistic or conceptual work. And so the effort to understand precisely what is going on in the reading brain is both an effort to ease the path for those who do not quickly attain fluency and to acknowledge that there are a wealth of equally valuable other paths that a “successful” brain might take.
This was a fascinating account told with humility and grace. It contains enough of the neuroscience to fully inform even the most ardent scientific reader, but enough of the humane aspects of what reading is and means to keep the reader focussed on what really matters. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member MusicMom41
This was a fascinating study of the “reading brain” with an added dash of a brief history of the rise of written language (so we would have something to read!). After reading this book I am in awe that anyone learns to read. Are brain is not “programmed” for reading. The brain of each
Since I am a “squid” I was most fascinated by the last section of the book: WHEN THE BRAIN CAN’T LEARN TO READ. This section discusses the problems facing the dyslexic child. I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t diagnosed but I had two parents a some excellent teachers who worked with me and pushed me until I developed the skills I needed and by the time I was in third grade (the time when the dyslexic usually gets left in the dust) I had developed enough skill that I was able to keep up although no one could understand why I couldn’t seem to master spelling! However, I have always been a “slow” reader compared to my peers—those who read voraciously usually become quite fast. I now know why. Reading is a ‘Left Brain” activity for the most part, although the Right Brain does have some work to do in the process. For dyslexics, the left brain paths for reading never develop; our reading paths develop in the right brain, which does not work as quickly so there is always a “delay” in the process for us. This is also why most dyslexics—even the brilliant ones—usually don’t become expert readers. Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Thomas Alva Edison are three of the brilliant ones who developed their talents in other areas. This goes on my list of best books of the year and gets 5 stars!
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individual has to start from scratch developing new pathways that eventually will lead to reading skills. This is why children who get a late start, not being introduced to books and stories at a very young age, often never get beyond the rudimentary level of decoding and seldom develop into expert readers. I think every parent and teacher of young children should read this book.Since I am a “squid” I was most fascinated by the last section of the book: WHEN THE BRAIN CAN’T LEARN TO READ. This section discusses the problems facing the dyslexic child. I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t diagnosed but I had two parents a some excellent teachers who worked with me and pushed me until I developed the skills I needed and by the time I was in third grade (the time when the dyslexic usually gets left in the dust) I had developed enough skill that I was able to keep up although no one could understand why I couldn’t seem to master spelling! However, I have always been a “slow” reader compared to my peers—those who read voraciously usually become quite fast. I now know why. Reading is a ‘Left Brain” activity for the most part, although the Right Brain does have some work to do in the process. For dyslexics, the left brain paths for reading never develop; our reading paths develop in the right brain, which does not work as quickly so there is always a “delay” in the process for us. This is also why most dyslexics—even the brilliant ones—usually don’t become expert readers. Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, and Thomas Alva Edison are three of the brilliant ones who developed their talents in other areas. This goes on my list of best books of the year and gets 5 stars!
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LibraryThing member FlossieT
What an incredible book. Supremely readable, it seems undignified to label this 'popular science', because the amount of references show clearly that this has been as thoroughly researched as any serious scientific book. The only thing, really, that puts it into the popular category is the lack of
Maryanne Wolf's title alludes to the different aspects of reading exemplified by Proust's description of the book, in 'On Reading', as a place to take refuge and explore other realities and ideas, and the part the squid has played in the historical study of the brain. If you like, it's the felt experience of the reader complemented by the mechanics behind the scenes. The book is divided into three main parts: how the brain learned to read - a retrospective of the history of reading and brain science; how the brain learns to read over time - what we know or believe now about reading acquisition; and when the brain can't learn to read - a survey of current research and developments in dyslexia.
Wolf's style is delightful. Even when she is explaining the complexities of brain imaging and how that might relate to reading development, she is never less than fluid (though I suspect I fell into the trap that, she tells us, Socrates feared would arise through literacy: that of ceasing to question, and reading without truly understanding!). It's not the kind of book where you find yourself so bogged down in the technical descriptions you are unable to move forward. The science is leavened with anecdotes from her own research and family life, and seasoned with numerous interesting literary and historical references (personal favourite: Eliot's analogies for Casaubon's mind from Middlemarch).
Wolf closes with a call to arms to urgently consider the implications for the current generation of schoolchildren of 'growing up digital', repeatedly worrying at the notion that the ease of access to information provided by the internet may produce a crop of children with little or no curiosity about exploring texts further than their surfaces.
I found this completely fascinating from just about every perspective: the history of reading, writing and alphabets, which I knew very little about; the process of language acquisition, which was particularly interesting as my youngest child is at the stage of beginning to reliably recognise letters; dyslexia, which I knew absolutely nothing about (nice too that Wolf uses The Lightning Thief for an epigraph in one of these chapters); and her personal mission statement in the final chapter. Everyone with an interest in reading should seek it out.
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note markers in the text - which is nice, until you get to the notes and realise how hard it is to relate them back... a very minor gripe.Maryanne Wolf's title alludes to the different aspects of reading exemplified by Proust's description of the book, in 'On Reading', as a place to take refuge and explore other realities and ideas, and the part the squid has played in the historical study of the brain. If you like, it's the felt experience of the reader complemented by the mechanics behind the scenes. The book is divided into three main parts: how the brain learned to read - a retrospective of the history of reading and brain science; how the brain learns to read over time - what we know or believe now about reading acquisition; and when the brain can't learn to read - a survey of current research and developments in dyslexia.
Wolf's style is delightful. Even when she is explaining the complexities of brain imaging and how that might relate to reading development, she is never less than fluid (though I suspect I fell into the trap that, she tells us, Socrates feared would arise through literacy: that of ceasing to question, and reading without truly understanding!). It's not the kind of book where you find yourself so bogged down in the technical descriptions you are unable to move forward. The science is leavened with anecdotes from her own research and family life, and seasoned with numerous interesting literary and historical references (personal favourite: Eliot's analogies for Casaubon's mind from Middlemarch).
Wolf closes with a call to arms to urgently consider the implications for the current generation of schoolchildren of 'growing up digital', repeatedly worrying at the notion that the ease of access to information provided by the internet may produce a crop of children with little or no curiosity about exploring texts further than their surfaces.
I found this completely fascinating from just about every perspective: the history of reading, writing and alphabets, which I knew very little about; the process of language acquisition, which was particularly interesting as my youngest child is at the stage of beginning to reliably recognise letters; dyslexia, which I knew absolutely nothing about (nice too that Wolf uses The Lightning Thief for an epigraph in one of these chapters); and her personal mission statement in the final chapter. Everyone with an interest in reading should seek it out.
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LibraryThing member teaperson
An intriguing look at your brain on books. The book delves into both the evolutionary history of reading, the nitty-gritty of how the brain adapts itself to this very complex skill, and the ways in which that process goes wrong (ie, dyslexia). Most intriguingly, the author tries to draw an analogy
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between the transition from oral to written culture, to the transition between written and digital culture. Some things were lost (the ability to really Socratically question knowledge), but much was gained (the time to think deeply and keep a cultural history alive). Show Less
LibraryThing member judiparadis
Loved this book on the "science of reading." Wolf, a professor at Tufts, delves into how reading shapes our brains and our thinking by looking at the evolution of reading and how it changed both our ability to order society and think independently, and how it actually shaped our brain development.
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She then tackles the neuroscience behind reading, which was fascinating--especially for those of us who work with children doing the difficult work of learning to read. Her book gives insight into how remarkable this ability actually is. Wolf closes by speculating on what changes will come in this century as we morph from print readers to digital consumers of information, with some cautionary ideas that were worth considering. Informing the entire book, was her revelation that her son is dyslexic, and her findings about how this reading "disability" actually shows the plasticity and adaptive qualities of our brains--and marks those with dyslexia as actually having some important traits that we need to nurture and value. Lots to consider here, especially for those of us working with children and literacy. Show Less
LibraryThing member keely_chace
Wow! I loved this book. Read it and be amazed at your incredible reading brain--even if you were someone who had a heck of a time learning to read. I especially liked the parallels Wolf draws between Socrates' objections to the transition, from the oral culture of ancient Greece, to the reading
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culture made possible by the revolutionary Greek alphabet, and the somewhat worrisome transition today, from a words-on-the-page reading culture that tends to encourage critical thinking, to a digital, hyper-linked, image-heavy, screen-reading culture. Show Less
LibraryThing member motjebben
A very enjoyable book! It gives a rough outline of the current speculation on the history of writing and reading, alphabets, and how this history influenced and/or was influenced by the evolution of the increasingly sophisticated brain.
It also briefly touches on the possible future ramifications of
One of Wolf's oft-repeated points is that reading allowed humans time to ponder, in depth, what was read so that readers could "go beyond" the book, themselves, and time itself.
While google is obviously a boon to researchers and obviously positive in many (most?) ways, does it, on the other hand, reduce one's desire to curl up with a good book, read, and ponder what was read and how it relates to all of one's life, history, and future?
Wolf also discusses what dyslexia tells us about the reading brain and the possibility that dyslexic brains read differently, and, perhaps, in a way that may be advantageous in some ways.
I recommend this book! It has a great section of notes for further reading, too!
It also briefly touches on the possible future ramifications of
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the "google-age" ability of humans to quickly search for, find, and absorb material, but possibly in a superficial way that lacks depth.One of Wolf's oft-repeated points is that reading allowed humans time to ponder, in depth, what was read so that readers could "go beyond" the book, themselves, and time itself.
While google is obviously a boon to researchers and obviously positive in many (most?) ways, does it, on the other hand, reduce one's desire to curl up with a good book, read, and ponder what was read and how it relates to all of one's life, history, and future?
Wolf also discusses what dyslexia tells us about the reading brain and the possibility that dyslexic brains read differently, and, perhaps, in a way that may be advantageous in some ways.
I recommend this book! It has a great section of notes for further reading, too!
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LibraryThing member sonorasam
Excellent book and read. Between the lines it's an indictment of our current one size fits all educational system.
LibraryThing member rivkat
Some interesting stuff on differences in written languages and how they affect reading in the brain, including problems with reading: dyslexia and similar problems manifest differently depending on how closely a written language correlates with sounds as pronounced. Wolf also focuses on the
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importance of “loving laps” for children learning to read, associating reading with good things, and argues that we’re doing a really bad job with struggling readers because we don’t pay enough attention to fluency/automaticity if it hasn’t already developed in the early grades. Show Less
LibraryThing member clevinger
This book is in three parts:
1) How the brain learned to read
2) How the brain learns to read over time
3) When the brain can't learn to read
The first part focuses on the earliest forms of writing, and what neurological developments occurred as a result of using symbols. The author manages to keep
The second part deals with the child's mind and what leaps of association are required to progress, as reading is an acquired skill as opposed to an innate ability. It was the reason I bought the book, hoping to get a wider understanding of the process of learning to read and some tips and techniques of improving this process.
Unfortunately the text remains partly a scientific explanation of what happens in the brain (which lobes are exercised in which circumstances) and partly a linguistic explanation of versatility of the English language and how different words are pronounced differently (bough, tough, through etc.). As a native English speaker, I already knew that and have long since ceased to be amazed by it.
There is no mention of the Glen Doman theory of learning to read, which is in opposition to the standard process presented here
1) How the brain learned to read
2) How the brain learns to read over time
3) When the brain can't learn to read
The first part focuses on the earliest forms of writing, and what neurological developments occurred as a result of using symbols. The author manages to keep
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this combination of history and neuroscience just a little too dry to engage the layreader. The second part deals with the child's mind and what leaps of association are required to progress, as reading is an acquired skill as opposed to an innate ability. It was the reason I bought the book, hoping to get a wider understanding of the process of learning to read and some tips and techniques of improving this process.
Unfortunately the text remains partly a scientific explanation of what happens in the brain (which lobes are exercised in which circumstances) and partly a linguistic explanation of versatility of the English language and how different words are pronounced differently (bough, tough, through etc.). As a native English speaker, I already knew that and have long since ceased to be amazed by it.
There is no mention of the Glen Doman theory of learning to read, which is in opposition to the standard process presented here
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LibraryThing member aliceunderskies
I picked this up because I loved the cover and the title, but alas, the content did not measure up. The book was okay--not atrociously written, mildly interesting throughout--but the content just wasn't new enough for me I suppose. My continual reaction was, "Well, yeah, obviously." In addition to
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"nothing I didn't already know or could logically intuit" points loss, Wolf also seemed unable to decide whether she was writing a scientific or a personal book; she'd switch between personal anecdotes to APA-style restating of her thesis in unemotional language at the turn of a page. A commitment to either impulse would have served the book better. Show Less
LibraryThing member KirkLowery
A discussion of how reading makes physiological changes in the brain, and how the digital age will change the brain further. She raises the question of Socrates' objections to literacy with reference to the changes in reading causes by the digital instant access to information. However, she does
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not offer any significant suggestions to remedy the problem, nor does her very interesting work with dyslexics address the question. Indeed, it seems as if she has written two books with (related) content, but no real organic unity. Show Less
LibraryThing member markflanagan
Despite some fascinating history and some very essential information about language development in young children, this book is a little heavy in its neuroscience content for the average reader.
LibraryThing member dono421846
I'm not sure how successful Wolf is at presenting this information on reading in a manner that is accessible to the general public, but that shouldn't detract from the interesting aspects of the book. The more technical sections on brain anatomy, etc., can be skimmed without much loss.
For me the
She closes with some insightful observations on what the consequences of a generation who "reads" only what they find on the internet, thus eventually losing the ability to think for themselves. "Their insights are narrowed to what they see and hear quickly and easily, and they have too little reason to think outside our newest, most sophisticated boxes. These students are not illiterate, but they may never become true readers." They become instead mere "decoders of information, whose false sense of knowing distracts them from a deeper development of their intellectual potential."
For me the
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major points were the consequences of the fact that, unlike language acquisition, there are no genetics for reading. We can do this only because we're reappropriated machinery designed for other purposes. That speaks to how difficult it can be to master this skill, although it is easier to day that it was originally, when it literally took years of intense training and study to acquire reading fluency. Children are today expected to attain this skill by third grade. She closes with some insightful observations on what the consequences of a generation who "reads" only what they find on the internet, thus eventually losing the ability to think for themselves. "Their insights are narrowed to what they see and hear quickly and easily, and they have too little reason to think outside our newest, most sophisticated boxes. These students are not illiterate, but they may never become true readers." They become instead mere "decoders of information, whose false sense of knowing distracts them from a deeper development of their intellectual potential."
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LibraryThing member KallieGrace
I gotta say, I don't know when the squid was supposed to make an appearance, but it was fleeting if it happened at all.
This is very neuroscience heavy, which I found fascinating, but it was more on how our evolutionary brains picked up reading in the history of our species rather than about the
This is very neuroscience heavy, which I found fascinating, but it was more on how our evolutionary brains picked up reading in the history of our species rather than about the
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brains of non-readers vs readers. There is a little of that, but we quickly get derailed but dyslexia for the remainder of the book. Again, still fascinating, just not what I was expecting. I think her fearfulness of information being acquired via new technology is hilarious after she showed how Socrates was terrified of people picking up on reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
No answers, not even advice about dealing with dyslexia. The book reports on the science behind the phenomenon. Not what I was looking for.
LibraryThing member japaul22
This is a fascinating look at how humans developed reading and writing and what reading does to the brain. It is divided into 3 sections: the first a history of the development of reading, the second a look at how children learn to read and how it changes the brain, and the third looking at
I really liked this. The language can be a bit dense and scientific, especially in the latter sections, but it was very interesting. One of my big takeaways was the idea that reading is not an inherited skill but something that each human attempts to learn from scratch. I also was very interested to read about the way the skill of reading changes neural pathways and the implications for how these pathways can lead to a deeper way of thinking in many ways.
Wolf briefly addresses her concerns about how an increasing digital age may again change our neural pathways, much as happened when the Greeks discussed the move to written word away from "dialogues" and memorization for oral retelling. This was a big concern for Socrates, at the cusp of this mental shift.
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learning anomalies such as dyslexia and what they further tell us about the brain. I really liked this. The language can be a bit dense and scientific, especially in the latter sections, but it was very interesting. One of my big takeaways was the idea that reading is not an inherited skill but something that each human attempts to learn from scratch. I also was very interested to read about the way the skill of reading changes neural pathways and the implications for how these pathways can lead to a deeper way of thinking in many ways.
Wolf briefly addresses her concerns about how an increasing digital age may again change our neural pathways, much as happened when the Greeks discussed the move to written word away from "dialogues" and memorization for oral retelling. This was a big concern for Socrates, at the cusp of this mental shift.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
This is a very dense book, but the author manages to make the "science" and "educator" language accessible to the layman. I found this interesting in an academic way, not a lot of practical use to someone who isn't studying the brain, etc. It was interesting to read about the development of a
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child's brain on the path to reading and gives inspiration if you have a young one in your life to interact verbally and visually with children using words, letters, song and rhyme. Show Less
LibraryThing member PattyLee
Parts II and III should be required reading for teachers. Part I was interesting, but if you are in a hurry you might not care about the origins of the first writing systems.
LibraryThing member Mithril
Thoroughly satisfying.
LibraryThing member mkunruh
Wolff's book is clear, thoughful and compassionate. She herself is obviously a reader which shows in her many examples. I also appreciated that her inclusion of dyslexia in her exploration of the 'reading' mind.
LibraryThing member Yiggy
The subject matter of this book is very interesting, and has that self-referential aspect to it that makes books about the brain and consciousness so fun. Like holding a mirror up to itself, Wolf's book is about whats going on in the brain when the reader is reading. Wolf also recapitulates the
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historical development of the written word and how our brains continually have to adapt and relearn this skill in each new individual. My only complaint about the book is that Wolf's writing feels clunky and redundant at times. Show Less
LibraryThing member hailelib
The author first discussed the invention of writing with emphasis on alphabetic systems. Then she went into the details of the reading brain and the neuroscience of the pathways used when a person reads. The central sections focused on how children learn to read and the necessary background they
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need in order to be successful. The last chapters are about dyslexia, what it is and why it occurs and the research about it. Very good. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2007)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007