A review by theseasoul
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf

3.5

|| 3.5 ⭐️ ||

I hadn’t really thought much before about the sheer amount of brain mechanisms that have to work together in order for us to read, comprehend, and apply what we are reading to reality. It blows me away how intricately God designed our brains. Now it makes more sense why reading is such a beneficial and constructive activity—I knew this, but not exactly why to this extent—and why it’s so important to preserve the act of reading in the following generations.

Many of the author’s thoughts on the effects of technology in regards to reading comprehension, attention span, deep thinking, and so on weren’t new to me. I’ve read several books on the subject, and felt that the information was more clear-cut in some of those. 

But then again, maybe that’s just me favouring books on this topic that are easier to digest precisely because I grew up with the digital reading brain that the author addresses. I certainly feel called out—I do know that I read for efficiency more than I probably should, and have the tendency to move onto the next thing so fast that I don’t leave enough time for contemplation. Part of me is addicted to the fast reading pace and happy enough with the half-baked information I do retain, but another part of me always longs to slow down and leave more space to integrate new insights from what I am reading into my life.