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David's Reviews > What We See When We Read
What We See When We Read
by
by
David's review
bookshelves: 21st-century, literary-studies, non-fiction, sociology
Aug 28, 2014
bookshelves: 21st-century, literary-studies, non-fiction, sociology
Read 2 times. Last read August 28, 2014 to August 30, 2014.
Peter Mendelsund’s “What We See When We Read” might almost be useful to those just coming to the idea of immersive, experiential reading, analytical reading, especially non-fiction, does not figure into this work, but for those who’ve been following, or studying, the phenomenon of non-critical reading this will be a tedious read.
The graphics are excellent, but they are disguising the fact you are reading a very, very short book—only 21k. The problem with this is that what you are getting is less a book and more a personal essay. There is, as well, very little critical thinking in the work [it is, after all, a personal essay] and no endnotes. For most this will not be a problem, but for any who wish to explore the ideas raised in this book the lack of references will seriously hamper their pursuit.
The lack of endnotes and bibliography makes this work not the best entry position for a book exploring how most people read fiction [novels, short stories, poetry, and drama].
Above and beyond all of this is the fact that although the ‘essay’ is elegant, graceful, and aesthetically pleasing it is not, in the slightest, perceptive and lacks any deep thought on the part of the author.
In the end, it is impossible to recommend this book for anyone but the most superficial of readers.
2 out of 5 stars
The graphics are excellent, but they are disguising the fact you are reading a very, very short book—only 21k. The problem with this is that what you are getting is less a book and more a personal essay. There is, as well, very little critical thinking in the work [it is, after all, a personal essay] and no endnotes. For most this will not be a problem, but for any who wish to explore the ideas raised in this book the lack of references will seriously hamper their pursuit.
The lack of endnotes and bibliography makes this work not the best entry position for a book exploring how most people read fiction [novels, short stories, poetry, and drama].
Above and beyond all of this is the fact that although the ‘essay’ is elegant, graceful, and aesthetically pleasing it is not, in the slightest, perceptive and lacks any deep thought on the part of the author.
In the end, it is impossible to recommend this book for anyone but the most superficial of readers.
2 out of 5 stars
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
(Paperback Edition)
August 28, 2014
–
Started Reading
August 28, 2014
– Shelved
August 28, 2014
– Shelved as:
21st-century
August 28, 2014
– Shelved as:
literary-studies
August 28, 2014
– Shelved as:
non-fiction
August 28, 2014
– Shelved as:
sociology
August 30, 2014
–
Finished Reading
April 14, 2016
– Shelved as:
21st-century
(Paperback Edition)
April 14, 2016
– Shelved
(Paperback Edition)
April 14, 2016
– Shelved as:
graphic-design
(Paperback Edition)
April 14, 2016
– Shelved as:
literary-studies
(Paperback Edition)
April 14, 2016
– Shelved as:
reading-theory
(Paperback Edition)
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
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by
Scott
(new)
Dec 24, 2016 06:40PM
Excellent advice, thanks for pointing out the lack of footnotes. I picked this up in a museum bookstore and nearly bought it impulsively for the illustrations and catchy title. But how wonderful it would be to see the subject of the book thoroughly researched and still presented in an illustrative, digestible format. I might just buy a used copy....
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great review, perfectly summarizes what I felt too.
Hear hear David, I felt word robbed!
Yes! You’ve given words to what is bothering me about this book. It is presented as a book about how “we” all take in and process the written word, yet it is nothing more than a personal essay about how the author does this.
