I’ve decided to post anything book, reading, or literature related on this blog – not just letters to the greats. I’ll begin with this meme, which I will hopefully continue with a new meme about reading each Thursday. Enjoy and join in if you would like.
What, in your opinion, is the definition of a “reader.” A person who indiscriminately reads everything in sight? A person who reads BOOKS? A person who reads, period, no matter what it is? … Or, more specific? Like the specific person who’s reading something you wrote?
In general, my definition of a reader is someone who is capable of the act of translating letters on a page into the spoken word. That is pretty basic, though. My eleven-year-old son has just become a reader. He struggles to put the letters together, and doesn’t know all the different phonograms yet, so therefore still needs help. But reading has finally clicked for him. We are joyously celebrating this.
My nine-year-old daughter, however, is a good reader. She reads voraciously – anything she can get her hands on, including the back of the cereal box. She doesn’t struggle with language, and I can always tell if she’s been reading classics or if she’s been reading brain candy by the way she speaks. She tries to think about what she reads and apply things to her life that seem to be good and true.
I think that the best readers are those who become involved in the discussion of the book, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. Every book (at least, every book worth spending time on) should draw an aware reader into a discussion with the author. Is what the author saying true? Is anything applicable to life? Where is the author coming from? Why did I pick up this book?
The first step to being a reader is the mere translation of words on a page…the final step involves deep discussion with the mind of the author. The voyage from beginning to end is a joyful journey.
If you would like to join this meme, click here and add your thoughts.
I think you get more out of a book when you discuss it with others. There are things my kids have seen in a book that I never caught. An example of this is when we read The Giver my 9-year-old asked, “What about the birth fathers?” I couldn’t give her an answer!
I agree completely, koolaidmom. It is wonderful how you don’t even see something in a book until someone else points it out, or your discussion leads you down that path.
Engagement adds to the joy of reading.
I agree that engaging while reading is necessary. One thing I notice about people I would not describe as readers is that they are very passive. They accept without questioning.
When I read a book without discussing it, I find that I am more passive in my engagement. But when I plan to discuss it with my husband, I actively wrestle with the idea that I want to communicate so that I’m ready when he fires back his questions or reaction. The mental exercise to reduce my thoughts so that I’m clear when I talk to him about it also helps me retain what I learned better. I find that I silently rehearse the idea before opening my mouth (usually!) so I’m actually reviewing the material and making it my own.