2.18.25 reading theories (asynchronous)

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2.18.25 reading theories (asynchronous)

2/18/2025

OVERVIEW: I could have just as easily called this theories of reading or reading theory. This second discussion board is a precursor to the group assignment for the semester on Reading and/or literacy theory. Literacy work skews more towards education and reading theory more towards literary analysis, but both tend to get downplayed when critical theory is discussed in most graduate classes. Thus, we will be taking a deeper dive into theory as we approach the midterm.

But, for this week, we will start with practice. You all wrote some very lovely flash memoirs (even though many of you complained about being restricted to 750 words). Those memoirs are excerpted on the Class Profile Page along with links to the full versions of each memoir.

PRIOR TO POSTING: Read at least five and preferably 7 (about half the class) of your classmate's Mentor Text Memoirs, available linked to the Class Profile Page.

WHAT TO POST: Once you've read, post to the discussion board about what you notice about the reading experiences of your classmates. What can you extrapolate about reading as an experience, about how literacy education takes shape in and out of school? What commonalities do you see? What seems to be an outlier? What do you notice about what people have to say about reading as a young person, about reading in school versus reading for pleasure, about being or not being a confident reader. You can write this as a numbered list. Posts should be between 250 and 350 words.

15 Comments

Devon Melo

2/18/2025 02:52:43 pm

A few conclusions I’ve made upon reading my peers mentor text memoirs -

1. Texts that validate/showcase personal connection/experiences for the reader
2. Texts that plot/characters/setting etc. showcase certain circumstances and build inner confidence for the reader
3. Reading doesn’t have a timeline, it can happen at any moment until becomes more natural
4. Texts that foster even singular connections to them are valid - that is not misreading!
5. Reflecting on reading journey is a personal experience in of itself
6. Reading and teaching these texts today to students
7. Reading as a young person reads with hope/excitement/connection/escapism
8. You can be a confident reader and have limited worldview
9. Emotional toil books have on young readers

The memoirs I read discuss less of how literary education shaped my peers, but more so of how the reading experience shaped them. I found more overlap between specific memories associated with my peer's favorite texts and their own personal experiences, like Sadie P. and Gabby S. I liked how Diane G. summed it up with referencing how reading certain texts goes back to a moment in time (and as I read more I noticed other people said something similar to this). There were some outliers that referenced their reading journey, like Kaitlynn D. and made me think immediately think about my own struggle in confidence as a writer. I couldn’t agree more with Megan J. and her misreading of Gatsby, as I too, did the same. I resonate with the emotional toil books put me through, like Marissa S. and Ryan J. described. I admire everyone's authenticity in their memoirs, thank you!!

Ryan Juliano

2/18/2025 03:14:28 pm

While reading some of my colleagues’ memoirs I noticed that a common thread seemed to be what a reader brings to a story versus what they walk away with. Those two concepts perhaps go hand in hand when it comes to consuming any kind of media, but the class’ collected memoirs look back at times in everyone’s lives when they were at their most impressionable. Some folks brought trauma and tragedy going into their mentor text and found stories that fit around them like custom made clothing. Others left their mentor texts looking at the world a little differently, or a lot differently.

Reading these memoirs has left me with two lasting thoughts. One is that readers, especially young readers, immediately recognize when they are represented in a story. A sense of belonging follows shortly after the discovery, a feeling of, “I’m not alone,” or, “I’m not the only one.” Those reading experiences are important and clearly impactful. The equally important flipside of that is readers experiencing stories that do not reflect their own lives and, hopefully, granting them insight into the different perspectives around them. If more young readers are exposed to both sides of that representation coin the more they will understand that the world is full of many different people who have lived many different lives. Empathy is the word I am dancing around.

The second thought I walked away with is that reading makes young readers ask questions. Not necessarily direct questions to teachers or parents, but more in the way of questioning the world and their place in it. A number of the memoirs I read depicted young readers pondering the way everything works. That is a wonderful thing. Young people should always be asking why the world is the way it is, and it seems that reading is a gateway or catalyst to that kind of curiosity.

Marisa Silk

2/18/2025 04:53:42 pm

After reading my colleagues’ mentor text memoirs, it is clear that reading experiences can and will shape lives, especially in how someone feels about reading. Essentially, it seemed like a mix of people felt they found texts in schools that made them enjoy reading, and others where it took them longer to find a book for themselves. Literacy education is not as individualized because of strict curriculums. I believe that those who are stronger readers will connect to more “curriculum” or “classic” texts because of the easier reading experience; however, this is not the experience for everyone, and this causes negative emotions to be attached to the act of reading any book. With this, I believe literacy education needs to include more “Book Clubs” and independent reading units where students have choice in the texts they read. For example, if students can go to the school or public library to find a book of their interest, then they will have more personal connection and motivation behind the text. Also, “Book Clubs” lend a hand for students who are reading a text based on similar interest with collaboration. “Book Clubs” in classrooms can give students a more wholesome reading experience based on collaboration as they can hear from each others’ reading experiences.

Based on the mentor text memoirs, it seems that commonalities among reading experiences included connection. Sadie poignantly wrote how “books make people feel less alone,” and Megan Johnson expresses how books are “windows to our experiences.” Gus also mentioned how Harry Potter, a fantasy series, grants “worldly possibilities” for every reader. Books offer so many capabilities like being able to relate to them, or using them as a source of escapism. Either way, no matter the genre, length, or format, a text creates feeling, emotion, and empathy within all of us. We are exercising our minds and hearts. These stories reach us at different moments in our lives, especially during our formative, young adult years. Emily’s memoir discusses the process of re-reading a text for nostalgia, and how those feelings may change. There are moments from a book we may hyperfixate on at one point, and then conduct a re-read that evokes a completely different feeling or hyperfixation. As we grow as readers, so do our experiences and capabilities to feel. Through this, reading is a part of the human experience as it evolves as we do.

Megan LeBlanc

2/18/2025 05:07:43 pm

1. People either LOVED reading, or decidedly did NOT love reading; it seems like it was one extreme or the other for most people, but here we all are now - graduate students in an English class.

2. Books as an outlet for real-life issues, whether as an escape or as a mirror to kind of lead you through the struggles that you are experiencing. Seeing a character go through the same struggles as you makes you feel less alone and more brave.

3. A lot of people reread their mentor text a couple of times over their lives and further developed their understanding and appreciation for that book; it’s interesting to see how our reactions to literature shift and change as we get older! My New Years' Resolution for myself was to re read old books that I've already read once and it has been amazing to go back through things that I thought I completely understood. We change so much over the course of our lives that of course reading the same novel will result in different experiences, but this is a relatively new revelation for me. It's hard to accept that I really was never going to be 13 forever.

4. Several people mention writing in their texts; how interconnected is being a reader and being a writer? Does being one help with being the other? I don't really consider myself much of a writer, despite desperately wanting to be one.

5. The repetition of ‘I remember’; obviously it’s something that one must say when they look back on moments in their past, but so many of us repeated it over and over. I used it because I often think about that day that I read The Dark Half, so the repeated ‘I remember’ was, at least for me, indicative of how many times I have gone back to remember that moment.

I loved reading everyone's memoirs! It's super cool to see how many of your mentor texts were books that I also read and loved. It makes me feel like all readers really are connected through the experience of reading, regardless of how that experience started out for you.

Megan Johnson

2/18/2025 05:12:18 pm

For this assignment, I read Emily’s, Taylor’s, Ryan’s, Devon’s, Sadie’s, Megan L’s, and Gus’ mentor text memoirs. The range of mentor texts and the different impacts each text had on my classmates was unexpectedly vast. This served as a useful reminder of something I spoke about in my mentor text memoir; reading is such a personal endeavor; despite reading the same text as someone else, you may end up making an entirely different connection to or memory of the text.

1.Reading is a “right of passage”. Both Emily and Gus spoke about Harry Potter. I loved Emily’s story of not having read POA yet. Emily presented an interesting juxtaposition of reading a book when younger versus older; there is something about reading while still young that is important. The process of reading mirrors the innocence of adolescence; we learn things as we grow.
2.In both Gus’ and Emily’s, reading seems to be something that you can look back on, and grow from. Yet, Gus also brought to life a different aspect of reading; focusing in on the whole story and learning from all characters; Gus reminds us that reading involves all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore.
3.Reading is an (unbridled) exploratory process. Taylor and Megan L’s memoirs had several parallels, as each felt that they were reading a text that was perhaps out of their depth; there are no real handlebars when it comes to reading, especially when not done at school. Yet, there is still a useful aspect to reading without restraint; for example, Taylor’s mentor text led her into different genres of reading, like manga.
4.Reading can be used as a tool for self-discovery. Both Ryan and Devon emphasized the conflicts of characters and their relatability. Ryan astutely noted that stories are always about people and their struggles. Devon’s portrayed a similar theme; texts mirror the emotions that adolescents go through.
5.Books are love-letters, but also maps. From Sadie’s memoir, one can empathize with the feeling that a book was written for you as it mirrors your life so intently. Yet, Sadie also touched upon how The Glass Castle provided her with a “map” of how to escape, learn, and grow.

Diane Gentile

2/18/2025 05:19:08 pm

In reading my classmates’ Mentor Text Memoirs, I was comforted in realizing that many people’s experience as a young reader, and reasons for holding certain books close to their heart, were very similar to mine. I noticed quickly how often my classmates were not simply describing the book they were writing about but also mentioning who they were, where they were, and what their life was like as they were reading. I think this is such an important part of what makes a book stand out to us. I get the feeling, after reading my classmates’ memoirs that for many of us, if we read that same exact book at a completely different time of our young lives, we may not have reacted to or connected to it in nearly the same way. Timing seems to be everything with our memoirs.

Something really meaningful that resonated with me was in Sadie’s Mentor Text Memoir where she said that she believed her novel was written for her. After reading more of my classmates’ writing, I feel like that could be said for most of us… the feeling that something was written for just us to read. Similarly, Marisa’s description of needing a “fix” is such a big part of what makes a book stand out to us when we’re older. I think we can all remember that feeling of NEEDING to read and finish the books we wrote about.

I think Megan’s memoir also touched on something really important, and unique to the experience of being a young adult reader, which is that we sometimes totally misunderstand what the book is even about. These books somehow give any reader the opportunity to “get something out of it,” even if it’s not what you’re supposed to get out of it. This happens because you are able to make a connection to yourself in some way and learn from that, no matter who you are.

Gabrielle Sleeper

2/18/2025 05:26:42 pm

What immediately stood out to me upon reading these memoirs is just how tangled our own stories are to those that we read. When Gus talks about Harry Potter, he is transported back to his childhood, hiding under the stairs with his brother. When Megan L recalls her complicated relationship to Stephen King, she is reminded of a particularly terrible snow storm. Megan J’s memories of The Great Gatsby are woven together with her high school experiences. Megan J describes books as producing “light bulb memories,” where these stories trigger in us very vivid memories of very particular times. In short, the novels that shape us are deeply connected to our own lives. The stories that shape us are those that remind us of powerful moments in our lives.

But the magic doesn’t stop there. These books are also powerful in their abilities to shape who we become. Kaitlynn wrote about how the books that stuck with her were the ones written by women for women. I think that’s what also draws me to YA. There are so many amazing female authors in the genre writing powerful, funny, weird, smart, confident young ladies. I can see the person I want to be reflected back in these diverse, unique characters. Devon and Sadie both echo this sentiment, where books help us feel less alone. Books are a mirror, which allow our struggles to be validated. Further, they provide insight and inspiration for getting through whatever struggles we’re facing, and they encourage us to be more empathetic to those around us, as both Ryan and Taylor point out. They teach us how to care about the stories of others, even those in fantasy worlds, and they show us the importance of displaying kindness and apologizing for our own mistakes.

However, I think the most powerful gift that books give us is self reflection. Emily, Megan J, and Diane all talk about how they’re able to see new messages when they go back to the books that have impacted them. As we get older and gain new insights, the books that have shaped us in our youth continue to be relevant and fresh because of the layers they hold. What was one a fun adventure story about a young wizard for Emily has now become a deeply complicated series that reflects the political climate of the world around her. I suppose this is why we talk about books in the present tense, because they are still so alive, changing in their meanings just as their readers grow and change.

Sadie Petta

2/18/2025 06:52:30 pm

I think it’s safe to say that while everyone in the class presented a unique experience with a novel, there were some common themes we all discussed. One idea that many people brought up (Emily, Gus, Diane, and Megan J.) is that our thoughts on and understanding of books change with time. The wonderful stories that we escape into can seem so magnificent as children and young adults until we come to terms with the world in which we currently live. Then, we can see the influence of the hardships of society in our once beloved texts. This connects with another idea that seems to flow throughout the memoirs: the meaning of books can be influenced by who and where we are when we read it. I would argue that almost all of us laced this idea in our words, but Gabby’s story really rang this idea true. Sometimes a certain book can be exactly what we need when we are experiencing something that we cannot wrap our head around. They can be comforting, or an escape.

Another commonality that I kept noticing is that even if we can’t remember specific details, we can remember how we felt. This proves just how influential books can be for us. It’s not necessarily about the specifics of the plot or characters, but the ways in which we connect with them. For many, the books made us feel less alone, or entertained us at times of boredom or loneliness. Also, based on the selection of books chosen, both texts in and outside of school can be relatable. Some of us connected with a book from our middle or high school curriculum, while others connected with texts provided by family members. It seems that those are the two main ways in which people found the books that meant the most to them, showing just how influential our own experiences are on what we read and what we connect with.

Caitlin Kelly

2/19/2025 03:50:50 am

After reading through several of the memoirs, the common thread that stands out to me the most is that the perception of our most loved books can (and probably should) change as we get older. The messages that we take from ‘our’ novels don’t necessarily stand the test of time, or of growing up.

Diane, Gus, Emily, and Megan J. all reference this idea in their memoirs, but more specifically, the idea that the books we love so much as children or young adults may actually have some problematic messaging in the world of 2025. Emily and Gus both write about Harry Potter, and how looking back on the iconic book as adults, realizing that both the author and the conflicts presented in the story are not as innocent as they believed as children. Diane references To Kill A Mockingbird, and the realization that the novel is really about racial discrimination and not just the odd but kind neighbor down the street. Megan J. writes about her first experience reading The Great Gatsby, and how she read it so differently as a high school student dating for the first time compared to an adult who understood Fitzgerald’s deeper meaning.

I guess what I am trying to say here is this: the books that we love as children and young adults do not change, but we, as readers, do. However, I do not think the EXPERIENCE we had as young readers reading these books for the first time changes; it just becomes more nostalgic.

The other common thread I noticed from the memoirs is that of connection. Reading helps us as humans to either connect to the characters in the novel, our family members who went off to college, (Taylor) or our children (Catarina).

Gus Haflin

2/19/2025 09:09:50 am

I'm writing this after reading many of my peers' responses who have well articulated many phenomena; so as to not repeat, I'm going to talk about one specific aspect I noticed in several responses: addiction.

Many of us used words like "captivated" in order to describe the seemingly literal hold that these stories had on us. I think it's interesting because while this passion we share has been deemed a positive one by the powers that be, it could just as easily be shunned or disregarded after cultural shift. The written word's lasting influence and impact in Western culture seems to have been imprinted on many of us since the beginning of our reading journeys, reinforced by being held hostage in the loving embrace of a good story.

I wonder if there's such a thing as too much reading, and, if such a thing exists, what it looks like. I wonder if there's ever been a story written/recorded/filmed about the dangers of excess reading, of if that's too counter to the common narrative that "reading is good; we should all read more." Is there a point where one shouldn't read more? How could a young person identify this when they're pretty consistently told to read, in school, at home, during the summers, etc.

Looking forward to discussing these ideas in class!

Emily Graham

2/19/2025 09:37:13 am

My findings from the memoirs are as follows:
-Gus shared his experience with a sibling which is pretty unique from myself and the rest I read. Reading is typically a very solo act - similar to Diane though who experienced Twilight socially with friends and peers
-Kaitlynn had more of a focus on writing than reading - kind of similar to Megan L who didn’t fall in love with King’s plot, but writing style
-Gus and Kaitlynn both had a positive self reflection with a male and female lead respectively (representation matters)
-Catarina - reading to her son before bed is similar to Megan J’s experience as a child and also mine - makes me want to tear up thinking of my dad doing little voices for Angelina Ballerina and all her little friends and he also tried to model reading for me despite not liking it himself - I truly believe this is where my love of reading began and created a positive association for me outside of the classroom
-Megan L had a positive association with school and academic validation with support from home as well but still chose to write about a book she experienced outside of school
-Megan L is able to reflect on how King both helped and harmed her at such a vulnerable age (you're like a sponge as Diane said and will soak up anything you consume)
-Megan J almost interpreted Gatsby as YA which heavily influences her teaching of the book and proves that anyone can take anything they need from a book - even an old classic
Diane also has a connection to a classic with TKAM in a similar fashion - she took from it what she needed

Kaitlynn Davis

2/24/2025 06:27:05 am

In reading many of the memoirs, I’ve found that books were life altering experiences for many. What I think is interesting is the mix between literary work and more sensational novels, not either are a bad thing whatsoever, but it showcases that reading in and out of school can be monumental. For some it was the book that they read in English Class that really guided them to love literature, for others it was a book they picked up at the time because it was popular and exciting. Regardless, reading was encouraged and cultivated bright minds.

I think it's hard to define what makes reading important to education for young people because it's a personalized journey. In the overall grand scheme, it produces people who are hungry to learn and develop their skills. However, how or why the person gets there is almost entirely unique every time. Sometimes it has parental attachment, other times it is born from loneliness. Despite the wide range of differences, it proves to be a powerful and effective tool in getting students (or people in general) to care about the world in more emotionally and critically intelligent ways.

What I think is at the base of many of these memoirs and storytelling in general is that they teach us lessons and push us to consider everything more deeply. Engaging our brain with not just literary but interesting and age relevant content, motivates us as human beings. I think for many kids (and many of us who wrote memoirs) reading was not just a skill, but something that taught us to understand the function of humanity.

Catarina Morrissette

2/24/2025 12:32:49 pm

I can conclude that education takes shape in and out of school, specifically reading. In the seven memoir texts I read there were some similarities and differences. Some commonalities I noticed were the following:

1. Stories have different perspectives throughout your life, you can read the same story a number of times and relate to it differently every time you read. Stories also bring connection and adventure, all without leaving your home.

2. Reading is a journey and can connect you with the outside world in ways you may not understand right away, and it gives you the ability to escape the real world through books.

3. Books can build relationships with family, by it being read to them or being gifted. There is also a connection built with not only family, but the characters as well, being able to relate to them.

The way my peers fell in love with reading, some were through school, whereas others it was a gift from a family member. I noticed that reading as a young person is when my peers love for reading first occurred. In the seven memoir texts I had read, my peers seemed to be confident readers, many enjoyed Harry Potter. I can also conclude that reading shaped the lives of my peers, it made they who they are today, and without it they would not be the same person. I truly enjoyed reading everyone’s memoirs, it was great to see how much reading can shape a person at such a young age.

Taylor McKinney

2/25/2025 06:21:35 am

In reading through my classmates Mentor Text Memoirs, I felt like my mentor text was a total outlier compared to everyone else. Of course, I can relate to Emily and Gus because I grew up during the Harry Potter craze and went to many midnight book release parties for said books. Ultimately though, I never finished the series after the 4th book came out, my brother and I were both reading it, and he was a faster reader (5 years older), barges into my room and shouts "DUMBLEDORE DIES ON PAGE 596". This moment spoiled the series for me and I never finished reading the books, or have seen past the 3rd movie.

Many of my classmates chose books that reflect required reading during high school, and during high school I despised required reading, and found much solace in reading my own books rather than the required reading. I did not enjoy being told how to properly interpret literature, and why my interpretations were wrong. It wasn't until I became a teacher myself that I have come to see what I should have taken away from reading these books as a student when I was younger.

Admittedly, I have avoided teaching with To Kill A Mocking Bird because my students would tune out and miss the message and not to mention they complain when a book is over 100 pages. I skipped Gatsby when I taught 11th grade because my students begged me not to as their previous teacher had started it with them and they hated it. My husband just started going back to school and had to read Gatsby and said he loved it and couldn't recall much of it from when he was in high school.

Diane mentions the dramatic difference in interpretation between when she read To Kill a Mocking Bird in 8th grade versus as a High school student. Meghan when reading The Great Gatsby, has realized the interpretation she had upon initial read completely missed the mark, but as she continues to teach with it in her class room she recalls this memory each year.

Meghan who wrote their mentor text memoir about Stephen King, would be the classmate that I feel the most connection to, as she too chose a book that admittedly may have not been the most appropriate for a younger reader, but has appreciated the influence of King's writing on her path as a reader and consumer of media.

A common thread in all of these memoirs, is the feeling of connection one can find in books, a sense of not being alone. Sadie when she read The Glass Castle was (and perhaps still is) convinced this book was written for her as it was relatable on such a deeply personal level. Another common thread is what has brought us to this program at BSU, is our overall love for reading and how it wasn't always an easy thing to love but we all eventually found our paths.

Taylor McKinney

2/25/2025 03:13:49 pm

PS. I am just realizing now that I spelt both Megan Johnson and Megan LeBlanc incorrectly in my responses! I am so sorry!

2.18.25 reading theories (asynchronous)

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