Author: Mortimer J. Adler

All good advice cycles back.

In 2004, our professor informed the class this was the most helpful book he’s read. Considering it was written in the 1940s, advice that was still relevant for almost sixty years should’ve been a signal to me to read it then.

Alas, I learned it slowly, in bits and pieces over a much longer period than the few days investment this book would’ve required.

The crux of the book is to turn a person from a passive reader to an active reader. In an information age where we are quickly being transformed into passive recipients and instantly forgetting what we consumed (or manipulated into taking it at face value), heeding the teachings of Adler adds a powerful aid to the toolbox.

There is a stream of advice suggesting we learn how to speed-read, which was also the advice of a previous presidential administration in the sixties, but speed-reading only gets you through the text. An increase in speed, even if you believe it can be done with the equivalent increase in comprehension, won’t do anything for your mind.

It’s the same as watching a sitcom that happens to come on, but you don’t feel like changing the show or getting up. So you watch it until the end. The time has passed and you may have gotten some mild entertainment out of it, but that’s where it ends.

The irony is being an active reader naturally quickens your reading speed. You read slow to finish books faster, with more comprehension and springboard into other books.

If you’re not familiar with engaging with a text, arguing with the author, making notes in the margins, throwing away your highlighter and putting down a book to let certain points sink in, this book can be your guide.