books – Reading Argumentative Texts

The historian Barbara W. Tuckman’s answer to this question is worth your consideration. The fact that nearly 45 years have passed since these words were published tends to confirm their truth.

“[B]ooks are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. Without books, the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are engines of change, windows on the world, and (as a poet has said) “lighthouses erected in the sea of time.” They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print. ‘All the glory of the world would be buried in oblivion,’ wrote Bishop Richard de Bury, chancellor of England in the fourteenth century, ‘unless God had provided mortals with the remedy of books.’”
― Barbara W. Tuchman, “The Book,” Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Nov. 1980), p. 16.

As we approach the Super Bowl, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that age is no barrier to improving one’s reading skills. To the contrary. The patience, insight, and maturity gained as we grow older can be valuable in realizing that many of our intellectual limitations are the products of chance and circumstance, and are not carved in stone. We learn that we can go beyond them.

So, …. how does that relate to the Super Bowl? I have attached a link to an episode from Amplify’s podcast series the Science of Reading. This podcast episode is an interview of Malcolm Mitchell, a former wide-receiver for the New England Patriots. (Among his other accomplishments on the field, Mitchell caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl LI.) Mitchell recounts how in his first year in college he came to realize that he could only read at a very basic level. He then began the process of teaching himself to be a proficient reader, starting with children’s books. Reading, he says, “allowed me to become the best version of myself.” He has written three children’s books (as of the date of this interview, 2023) and is an advocate for literacy through his non-profit foundation. If you know someone who is struggling to become a better reader, the interview is inspiring and motivational.

On a related note, the Science of Reading podcast series is excellent. While this series focuses on teaching reading to beginning students, and my books are aimed at high school and college students and their teachers, I’ve learned much from it. I expect you will too.

Episode 10: From football to phonics, with Malcolm Mitchell | Amplify

Tag: books

What’s a Book Good For?

It’s Never Too Late to Learn How to Read, or How to Read Better