Teaching Reading Strategies With Literature That Matters to Middle Schoolers Book

I had been meaning to read this book ever since I first heard about it back in high school when I was involved with Student Leadership University (Williams mentions this organization in the book). I'd consider myself somewhat of a bibliophile, so you should know that from the get go I was really looking forward to reading this book.

First off, let me point out what worked well for this book. Never before have I read a book that has encouraged me and motivated me to have a genuine desire to make reading a bigger part of my life. His strongest arguments are when he points out how we waste our minds and potential when we devote more time to watching reality TV shows, movies, and endless Internet browsing than we do to reading great books. For the most part, I agree with his principle that you should only choose a book that you think you will enjoy reading. I would add that you should only read a book if it will also benefit you. Readers should never feel obligated to read a book simply because it has won awards or someone in their life has recommended it. It must be relevant to their lives in a significant way. I found the advise on speed-reading helpful, but I haven't spent enough time yet testing it out to see if it is really effective in the long run. There are a myriad of inspirational quotes spread throughout this 300 page book.

This leads to my criticism. A 300 page book is by no means exceptionally lengthy, but it certainly felt like a tedious endeavor as I trudged through page after page of the same old concept. To put it lightly, the author was beating a dead horse when he decided to make this book longer than 150 pages. I'm also not a big fan of his writing style (it reads as if a motivational speaker's words were put to paper). At times he came across as slightly pompous and proud. Never before have I been so ferociously compelled to read, read, read, and read. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. I will say that I did like the challenge he gave readers- to put aside one hour every day, for the rest of their life, and devote that hour to reading.

While this book often came across as being a self-help book (I loathe that genre so greatly), it surprisingly challenged and motivated me. While I found it extremely repetitive and drawn out, I did come away with a greater appreciation for books, a stronger desire for reading, and several great concepts to chew on for the future. I'd recommend this for educators, business workers, leaders, high school students, college students, and just about anyone who has a desire to learn and influence others with books and learning.