How To Read A Book Well
I used to admire people who can read a lot of books fast when I was in school. In fact, I went through several speed reading strategies myself in hopes of reading a lot so I could brag about the number of books I read.
But then I realized it’s not about how many books I read. It’s about how well I read them. It’s about how much the content of the book I absorbed. And, most importantly, it’s about what I do with the book.
- How much have the books I read changed my life?
- How has my life been transformed as a result of reading?
It’s not about the quantity, but the quality of reading. Reading a lot does not necessarily mean reading well. If I am the same after reading 100 books, then what was all the reading for?
Don’t read for quantity. Read for quality. In other words, you should read to comprehend the content of the book, criticize and interact with the author’s point, and create your own content based on your reading.
How do you read for comprehension?
First, ask, “What is the author trying to say?” You don’t have to understand every detail of what you are reading. The author has one main idea for the whole book. There’s a single idea for each chapter that supports the main idea for the book. One idea for each paragraph that supports the main idea for the chapter.
Where can you find the main idea of the book? You can usually find it in the introduction or the first few chapters. Ask yourself as you read, “Is this what the author is trying to say?” Once you figure out what the author is trying to convey throughout the book, write it down. And as you continue reading the rest of the book, come back to this idea and evaluate if what you are reading is worth noting. The point of reading is to get the author’s big idea. Don’t worry about all the details you missed in the book. You’ll come back to them later.
At this point, you can skim the pages by just reading the subheadings and the first few sentences of each paragraph and see if that paragraph is worth reading later. In fact, you shouldn’t read every single sentence on every single page. Think of this first reading as taking a snapshot of the book.
How do you read for criticism?
After reading(skimming) the book for the first time, write down in your own words, what the author’s main idea was and how he or she presented and supported the idea. Then, ask yourself, “Do you agree with the main idea? In what ways?” “Are there any questions you’d like to ask the author?” Now, you may go back to each chapter and each paragraph and read them if need be.
Also, think about how you would write differently if you were the author. This is the beginning of critical thinking. How would you have written it differently? Have fun with the book. Mark up sentences, anecdotes, or any data you find interesting. See if you can pull something from other books you’ve read before that may be relevant.
How do you read for creating your own content?
The easiest way to do this is to teach the book to someone else. Begin by writing a recommendation for the book. Ask, “Who do you think would benefit from reading this book? Why?”
Also, as you prepare to teach, ask, “How would you organize your presentation so your students can best learn the content?” You can go back to the table of contents as a reference. What are some strengths and weaknesses of the book? Has the book inspired you in any way?
Here’s another idea for content creation: Write a book review for yourself in a paragraph or two. Just a few sentences about what you think about the book.
Conclusion
It may be really hard (almost impossible!) to go through a book in this way by reading it once. You should read at least two or three times. Read for comprehension. And then read again for criticism. And read again for creating output.
If you go through this process as you read your textbook, you’ll be ready for any book report, critical or creative essays, or exams. You don’t want to use this reading method for every type of book you read. But if you want to get something out of a book, say your textbook or self-help book, then this method can help you do that.
