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Sep 13, 2008

Michelle rated it:

Well, no great surprise, but I was not crazy about this book. I love to read books about books, and Bauer had a number of funny lines about graduate students which I appreciated. I love to read and improve myself. But still this book missed the mark by a long, long way, to me. The day I have to make myself progress through a "grammar stage, logic stage, rhetoric stage" to get meaning from a book is the day I hang up my glasses and take up knitting or something instead. Good grief More...

5 comments like (9 people liked it)

Mar 14, 2008

Jake rated it:

You can't pay me enough to take this book from me. It is, in the course of a few hundred pages, a replacement for *all* the time wasted in high school English classes.

This book is a fantastic introduction to the "classical education" method, a steady-as-she-goes education of the self by dipping into the Great Conversation of books and authors and ideas that has been going since the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The first section of the book is entirely dedicated to teaching yo More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jun 17, 2008

Corey rated it:

What a great read. Indeed, it is the authoritative resource on classical education. I've seen some other reviews that say this book is too ambitious, but the beauty of homeschooling is that you can tailor this style and method to your own circumstances. In fact, any parent who wishes to be involved in their children's education (i.e. all parents, I hope!), would benefit from at least reflecting on the philosophy of this book and incorporating whichever parts work in your particular situation. More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2011

Sue rated it:

This book was in my library's carousel entitled "Books on Books".

Bauer is a professor of American Literature at the College of William and Mary in my home state of Virginia. This paragraph of the jacket insert intrigued me:
"..offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres - fiction, autobiography, history, drama and poetry - accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type."

More specifically, the chapter called "Keepin More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 07, 2010

Jimyanni rated it:

It was difficult to decide how many stars to give this book; three seemed a bit low, but four definitely seemed too high. The best part of this book is the suggested reading lists, complete with thumbnail descriptions: chronologically ordered lists of some of the most influential novels, autobiographies, histories, dramas, and poetry. I fully intend to use these lists to find future reading material.

Less useful, at least to me, was the "instruction" in how to read "ser More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2012

Rei rated it:

A very friendly and informative guide to reading "great works" of Western literature. I admire the author for managing to sketch out the history of each genre (fiction, historical writing, autobiographies, plays, poetry) in a concise manner that still captures the main themes and developments over the course of history. Only for English literature, mind, which she points out early on. (To study French, German, Russian traditions, etc, both author and reader would need to be fluent in t More...

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Nov 24, 2008

Annette rated it:

I'm really enjoying this book, it has taken me awhile to pick it up, requires a fresh mind, which seems to only happen at 6 AM. Currently I'm learning about different reading approaches, how to speed read, scan a page for a general sense of information, and then about understanding-analysis-evaluation.

Normally this would seem very dry but the author has a great sense of humour which she weaves into this tutorial on learning to read, understand, analyze and evaluate. She also gives l More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 26, 2010

Mike rated it:

I'd recommend this valuable guide to anyone who wants to delve a bit deeper in their reading experiences. Most of us at GOODREADS (I hope) are practiced readers, so that basic comprehension of a novel or history is routinely met from story to story (excepting difficult works). What Bauer offers us that can enhance our reading experiences are suggestions for note-taking, re-reading the text, and asking a series of searching questions. These sort of 2nd and 3rd tier questions, such as,"What More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 10, 2011

Terri Lynn rated it:

I have used Susan Wise Bauer's Well-Trained Mind book (written with her mother Jessie wise) for years as a homeschool mother and in teaching classes of homeschool students of all ages. This book is one that I read to glean ideas about reading classical books as an adult and was somewhat disappointed in that she would have readers essentially read each book three times all while taking notes and doing the same sort of analysis done in grad school.

I don't believe a book requires thi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 22, 2012

Tina DC rated it:

"The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to The Classical Education You Never Had", by Susan Wise Bauer is a must read for the avid reader, and for anyone who would like to broaden their scope of literary knowledge.

The best aspects of this book:
1) The very best thing about this book is the comprehensive lists of suggested reading in the categories of novels, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry. The suggested editions are given with a brief summary of the work.
2 More...

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Aug 04, 2009

Megan rated it:

For those of us who are interested in classical education for our children, it's important to educate ourselves first! This book is a guide to achieving that, with tips for reading the five important genres of literature (novels, biographies, dramas, histories, and poetry) and analyzing the works in each category by the three phases of the classical education: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Each genre contains a chronological annotated list of great works to go through, as well as how to analyz More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 30, 2011

Sarah rated it:

I think the best part of this book were the "brief, entertaining histories" of the 5 areas of study Susan Bauer recommended. I found it absolutely fascinating to learn the history of the novel and history. I think Bauer outlines a great way to read through the classics. I don't plan on following her lists but will use her book as a reference when reading those classics I decide to pick up.

I'm still questioning the need to obtain a classical education though. Am I real More...

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Apr 09, 2011

Nikki rated it:

To continue one's education throughout life, not just while acquiring a degree, is a worthwhile and beneficial endeavor. The title of this book suggests you need to read this book if you haven't acquired a classical education, but I say it's a fun guide to continue on with what you've already learned.... Continue the learning. I've started reading this book, which acts as an educational guide, in a study group with my sisters and my mother. It is so much fun! We are currently reading our firs More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 20, 2007

Charlton rated it:

A phenomenal book that gives you strategies on how to approach different materials to get the most out of fiction, poetry, autobiographies and so forth.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 13, 2011

Natalie rated it:

Like "The Well-Trained Mind", this book is more of a guide on obtaining a classical education. I read the first few chapters and skipped the rest. But, from what I read, I really liked the book and have put into practice some of the ideas on how to study books better.

My favorite thing was the idea of keeping a "journal" of what I read. I have a plain notebook and whenever I study a book, I write on top the date and chapter. From there, I draw a line down the pap More...

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Oct 22, 2009

Marie rated it:

I probably won't read this cover to cover because I've already been exposed to a lot of it in undergrad and grad school. It's amazing how much of the classical canon I instantly forgot, though! I had no context to nest it into, but now as I dip into "The Well-Trained Mind" as a way to afterschool my daughter, I'm interested in studying again. Perhaps Wise Bauer's divisions into genres and a more leisurely pace than Davidson's Humes seminars will help more of it stick. Now I just need t More...

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Sep 07, 2009

Megan rated it:

I would have given this book a higher rating if I hadn't felt like it was a (thorough, and at times amusing) review of everything I studied in college. I guess what I'm saying is that if you're an English major (specifically an English major whose schooling focused on classic literature), this book is a waste of time. It does, however, have a great reading list that I nabbed several books off of.

For anyone who wasn't an English or Humanities major, this book is a great intro to l More...

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Feb 02, 2012

Jacob rated it:

This is a helpful book about how to read classic English & American Literature to educate yourself, as well as lists and descriptions of representative classic works that are suggested reading. The writing is a bit dry and textbook-ish, but not hard to understand. Susan Wise Bauer starts with a few chapters on technique for understanding and evaluating literature. The technique is basically to focus first on understanding what you are reading, then on understand the arguments or points of wha More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 15, 2011

Marianna rated it:

This book is a helpful clever guide to reading, meant to provide those who attempt to read more or less systematically with directions outlining the approach to each of the five genres: novel, autobiography, history and politics, drama, poetry. Philosophy is, surprisingly, omitted, and there is no chapter on the non-fiction in general. The weakest part of the book is on poetry (the chapter on poetry in "How to read slowly" by James W. Sire is much clearer). The most interesting part is More...

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Dec 25, 2010

Choupette added it

A few months ago I was led, through some means or other, to the website of the college Moira attended, St John's. Basically it's this tiny university where they basically just learn everything from books. They read the primary sources and then, I guess, they discuss them, and learn stuff. For four years! Sounds like heaven to me.

The thing about tertiary education in Australia is that it's accessible to the vast majority of people because the fees are heavily subsidised by the govern More...

19 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 21, 2010

Jaclyn rated it:

I've been reading this book for a few years now and it's going to be several more before I finish it, if I ever do. This is a great book for those who want to get a little more out of their reading and are looking for a way to dig deeper. This book takes several different genre's and suggests reading material chronologically that she feels best encapsulates the writing of that period and the overall feelings during a particular era. She makes no attempt to pretend that this is a comprehensive More...

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Nov 19, 2011

Celeste rated it:

I only read portions of this book. I've read in full her previous book The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. I personally find her books on education flawed. They are all about pushing an education without much thought to individuality, personal needs, aptitude or soul. I would much rather study Oliver Van DeMille books on education.

I highly recommend the following books on getting a quality education: A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century More...

1 comment like

Sep 23, 2008

Lisa added it

Huh. This is another book I stumbled across somewhere and decided to give a try. I tried Cultural Literacy in audio, and that was a mistake: pretentious, prescriptivist, and about one-third list that does not make for good audio. That book was obvious; this one is juvenile.

I was doing what the author suggests -- reading the table of contents and first chapters to assess whether it was worth investing my time and energy -- when, on page 47, I came across the delightful tidbit that Tho More...

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Nov 12, 2011

Darcey rated it:

This was an excellent read, and I strongly suggest anyone with an interest in education and being able to learn and "get" more out of your reading - of ANY type! - to pick this up. The book provides information about a classical education and learning, and provides a walkthrough of how to read novels, histories, autobiographies, poems and dramas. It also provides an annotated reading list for each section, which definitely will help grow a reading list!

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Mar 05, 2011

Breccan rated it:

I was disappointed to find it to be mostly a series of not particularly inspiring reading lists of which I had already read a decent quantity in the areas that interested me. Seems to be made for people who are reading old books out of some sense of duty rather than because they have an innate interest in reading them. I think I'd focus on why particular books are interesting and how they reflect other things happening at the time more.

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Jun 12, 2009

Adrienne rated it:

Although this is a very good book, I have read "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler, which seems to have been the basis for this. Susan Wise Bauer has laid out a great plan for self-education, but I have also read Foster's two "How to Read..." books, so the information is "The Well-Educated Mind" isn't anything new. I will still probably follow her plan and use the lists as a good reference and motivator.

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Feb 01, 2009

Heather rated it:

I have read this before but I recently pulled it out for a second review. I have come to think of this a a good reference in my quest to read from the 'great conversation' of the Western World and it's proving helpful in some current reading. I like her suggestions for approaching and engaging in more serious reading and I like her lists of recommended reading in areas such as poetry, novels, history, etc.

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Jan 23, 2011

SaraQT rated it:

I'm just guessing that I read this book around 2005 ... something like that. The first part of the book is an excellent guide to getting more out of your reading addiction, and the second part is a rich listing of "classics" broken down by category (History, Biography, Literature, Poetry and so on) with suggestions for specific editions and translations. A wonderful reference book to own.

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Mar 10, 2009

Larisha rated it:

As far back as I can remember I have LOVED reading and like most people I have certain styles of books I enjoy more than others. For a'while now, I have felt like it would be nice to expand my world and this book helped do just that. I learned how to get the most out of reading each type of book and truly enjoy the power of the pen, no matter the literary genre.

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Dec 13, 2008

Danny rated it:

Nice book. Great list of books and some great recs. But Bauer's overemphasis on the Western Canon limits her notion of what it means to be a "well-educated" person. She never even mentions Naguib Mahfouz, Kenzaburo Oe, Yasunari Kawabata, V.S. Naipaul, or Gao Xingjian. Even if Western lit influenced some of these guys, they still matter.

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