false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1191026889m/289751.jpg 289751 8 <p> The act of reading is a miracle. Every new reader's brain possesses the extraordinary capacity to rearrange itself beyond its original abilities in order to understand written symbols. But how does the brain learn to read? As world-renowned cognitive neuroscientist and scholar of reading Maryanne Wolf explains in this impassioned book, we taught our brain to read only a few thousand years ago, and in the process changed the intellectual evolution of our species. </p> <p> Wolf tells us that the brain that examined tiny clay tablets in the cuneiform script of the Sumerians is configured differently from the brain that reads alphabets or of one literate in today's technology. </p> <p> There are critical implications to such an evolving brain. Just as writing reduced the need for memory, the proliferation of information and the particular requirements of digital culture may short-circuit some of written language's unique contributions&#8212;with potentially profound consequences for our future. </p> <p> Turning her attention to the development of the individual reading brain, Wolf draws on her expertise in dyslexia to investigate what happens when the brain finds it difficult to read. Interweaving her vast knowledge of neuroscience, psychology, literature, and linguistics, Wolf takes the reader from the brains of a pre-literate Homer to a literacy-ambivalent Plato, from an infant listening to <i>Goodnight Moon</i> to an expert reader of Proust, and finally to an often misunderstood child with dyslexia whose gifts may be as real as the challenges he or she faces. </p> <p> As we come to appreciate how the evolution and development of reading have changed the very arrangement of our brain and our intellectual life, we begin to realize with ever greater comprehension that we truly are what we read. Ambitious, provocative, and rich with examples, <i>Proust and the Squid</i> celebrates reading, one of the single most remarkable inventions in history. Once embarked on this magnificent story of the reading brain, you will never again take for granted your ability to absorb the written word. </p> - Publisher Comments 2794521 book 1 9 2007 Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain total:352|5:73|4:143|3:98|2:33|1:5| 352 1302 1113 141 4 3 false false Thu Oct 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 01:54:21 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 14:23:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 07:12:57 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 07:21:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 22:50:53 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 22:53:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 16:08:58 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 16:47:25 -0700 2008 The Gift of Dyslexia.
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I took away two thought-provoking ideas:

The parallels between Socrates' t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 08:13:31 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 08:22:03 -0800 2009
I enjoy researching how reading has changed in the digital age. I was hoping the...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 11 19:06:06 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 23:07:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 18:17:55 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 16:34:42 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jun 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 07:48:16 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 16:55:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 12:49:38 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 11:45:21 -0800 2009
Have you noticed how picturesque the letter Y is and how innumerable its meanings are? The tree is a Y, the junction of two roads forms a Y, two converging rivers, a donkey's head and that of an ox, the glass with its stem, the lily on its stalk and the beggar lifting h...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 19:00:32 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 11:24:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 14:24:44 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 14:35:42 -0800 2009
As the book mentions, a child's brain is naturally able to communicate verbally (all of the neurological structure is there to do ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 30 08:34:36 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 08:34:52 -0800 2008 I loved this book. The author describes reading as one of the "single most remarkable inventions in history" and it was fascinating to see what actually happens in the brain as we learn this invented code. Some of the neuroscience was a little difficult to wade through but it was bal...more...]]> 2 1 false false Sat Nov 22 12:27:12 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 12:30:24 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Wed Feb 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 29 14:40:24 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 11 09:05:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Aug 14 09:54:03 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 09:57:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=289751