Crowd-sourcing attitudes of readers: a first (online)book club

10/9/2018

Overview
Your first major assignment for the semester was a Mentor Text Memoir designed to get you to reflect on your own experiences as a reader, to reflect on the ways you can document your evolving literacy. As I've said many times in class, this is a first step in teaching literacy--we start with with what we know as readers and then learn what we can about other readers.

One thing that is often true about folks who want to be a teacher is that they themselves are good readers and do like to read, and despite themselves, often don't understand how this is not the case with the students in their classes. Further, folks who want to be teachers often found solace in the classroom (though not always): they were good students, essentially, and new how to do school.

It is easy to get caught up in who we were as students, and so it is useful to know the experiences of others. Thus, for this first book club, I am asking you to do a little qualitative research.

Details
1. locate two individuals to talk to about their experience as readers.
Start with the same question for each person you interview: What are your most memorable reading experiences (good or bad, in school or out)? It might turn out that this one question yields follow up questions or it might not, but this is the kind of information you are trying to get at. Keep notes on what they say.

NOTE: Try to bring some diversity to your interview pool--so, in other words, try to ask folks who are not exactly the same as you.

2. Once you've talked with two people, compose a summary (150-200 words) & an analysis (150 words).
In addition to the summary, do some analysis: what do the literacy stories you heard say to you as a future teacher of reading and writing? Your analysis need only be another 150 words. It can be longer if need be but it is not required. Post this writing to this page.

3. Once you've posted, read through your colleagues posts and respond (150 words).
Respond cumulatively to what you are seeing across your colleague's posts. What is the snapshot this exercise gives us of readers (and not so much readers) of all kinds at this moment? What implications does it have for how we teach? For what we teach?

In class on the 15th, we'll use this information to shape our first contact with our fellow book club members and first year writer/readers in ENGL101E. We'll think about the reading (Rosenblatt and Smith) and the Gertrude Stein exercise from our 1 October 2018 class in light of how others see themselves as readers.

HOW TO POST ON THIS BLOG: Frankly, it could not be easier. Simply click on the "comments" button available in two places on this page: top right and bottom left. A dialogue box will open up. Fill out the info as required, and then post away. When you are ready, click "submit" and you are done. To reply to a colleague's comment, click on, you guessed it "reply" and the same dialogue box will pop up. Don't worry if things get disorganized in the posting. I (we) will figure it out.

DEADLINE: You have until class time on the 15th to post and respond.

25 Comments

Jenessa Monast

10/13/2018 01:35:48 pm

I began by asking my self proclaimed "non-reader" husband his thoughts on reading. He told me he had never finished a book that he was not required to read. He never enjoyed reading. Recently however, he has begun listening to audio books that pertain to his business. Still not reading for pleasure, or reading at all for that fact, but in some sort of way, an approach to reading.
He recalled reading "To Kill a Mocking Bird" in school. He struggled to finish it on time and can recall only general details about the book.
My eleven year old daughter recalls reading Lois Lowry's "Number the Stars" in forth grade. She stated that in encouraged her to read more and helped her realize that she enjoyed reading realistic fiction, particularly with a historical theme.
I am aware of her common habit of starting pleasure books and never finishing them. When asked why this is the case she told me the problem is twofold. First, she tends to loose interest. Second, she has difficulty reading two books at the same time and because her required school texts take precedent she will often stop a pleasure book so as not to confuse it with the assigned reading.

It is common for teachers to find it difficult to engage their students in reading. Choosing books that are age appropriate, contemporary, and pertaining to issues that interest students may help spark a passion for literature. Furthermore, embracing today's technological society can motivate students as well. Reading books that have a movie version, an audio version, or a controversial topic can help promote discussion and debate.

Herby Jolimeau

10/14/2018 12:47:26 pm

Firstly, I couldn't agree more with your husband on never finishing a book that he wasn't required to read. I have this same difficulty, I've started so many books that I have yet to finish to this day but if its for school I have no issues. I think its the job of teachers to make reading feel like an experience rather than a requirement. Too often teachers simply just assign page numbers for students to read at home. It could be beneficial in a classroom if its possible to read together in class. Its a way to get all students involved and also would help to get students on the same page. Its not uncommon for students to do the reading homework but they just don't understand what they're reading.

Hayley Barner

10/15/2018 11:25:54 am

Hi Herby! I like that you interviewed your mother who was not raised in America. I think it is important to recognize the differences in academics across the world, so it is interesting to hear that there was more focus on math. I think it's great that you are trying to encourage your mother to read more despite her past history with reading. When I was interviewing my friends, I think that the exposure to reading as elementary students deeply influenced the way they felt about reading now. Your mother's experience goes to show that it does sometimes matter how much you read as a younger student. I think reading at a younger age helps solidify the importance and hopefully the pleasure of reading. When it comes to your father, being stuck in his ways is definitely something that starts at a younger age too. I agree 110% that reading should be fostered early and often. It is good to recognize the importance of reading even if it is not necessarily for pleasure.

Gustavo Barandas

10/14/2018 11:56:10 am

I asked my wife Lindsay what literary experience had somehow changed or shaped her life. She told me about a book she read during elementary school. The name of the book is So Far from The Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins. She really enjoyed Watkins story because of her rich writing style and real-life struggles during the war while returning to Japan. There were other novels that left a mark in her life, but Watkins’ story was impactful and opened my wife’s eyes to the horrors of the Second World War. Another fact that contributed to her loving the novel was the author’s visit to her elementary school. All students from her class were able to ask questions directly to Watkins and it made a huge difference. She was able to get more details in depth and find out tidbits of information that were not available on the book. Also, listening to Watkins autobiographical story in person added a layer of credibility and realism that sometimes seems far away from the students’ mindset, who usually are not acquainted to such harsh stories of despair throughout war times.
Lindsay’s personal experience show that readers enjoys stories better when there is a meaningful context along with the text. Reading just for the sake of reading can be dull and tedious, especially for adolescents. Having the experience with the author’s interview was imperative to boost Lindsay’s enjoyment for reading. I firmly believe we should always discuss the text and its context before jumping in to reading. The more information about the setting, story, characters, time, and author, the better students will connect and relate to a text. It is extremely helpful to watch videos about the author’s life and influences and the most important themes related to the text. Also, other activities can be interesting such as visiting museums or sites related to the story, in class discussions about students’ understanding of the book’s whole picture, and the author’s intentions for writing its book. The more we contextualize the novel and share the students’ experiences the more we will have them engaged on the text.

Dave Orten

10/15/2018 12:45:59 pm

It is interesting to hear about your wife's experience of actually meeting the author of the book she liked. In our readings we have read about the potential value of vicariously experiencing (to some extent) the stories of others through reading. Being able to meet, firsthand, the writer of a text and to interact, question, and shake hands with them seems like it could add valuable depth and tangibility to the reading.
I would like to use this concept in a classroom of my own. While I would not expect a world-renown author to visit my classroom, there are other ways that we, as teachers, could relate the works to our world. Perhaps a short story or novel set in a local area or written by a local author?
I can't agree with you more on the importance of contextualizing texts and bringing students' experience (and knowledge) into the reading process. The worst experiences I have had with reading have been those in which books were presented by teachers in an isolated fashion, devoid of emotional relatability and without guidance through the narrative.

Gustavo Barandas

10/15/2018 01:42:10 pm

Hey Dave,
Yes I also disliked reading without any further analysis or discussion about the novel. Most books I have read throughout school were the absolute truth of the teacher's view and nothing else. No wonder why reading can be challenging for so many students.

Herby Jolimeau

10/14/2018 12:30:15 pm

I asked my mother about her experiences with reading and her answer surprised me greatly. My mother explained to me that she doesn't remember doing a lot of reading during her school years. She pointed out that math was more of the focus. My mother wasn't raised in America so that I assume played a major part in her lack of interest in literature. Oddly enough my mother has tried to develop an interest in reading lately. She's purchased a kindle so she can read while at work, I've even encouraged her to read some of the free books offered on iBooks just to get her familiar with some of the more popular novels in literature. Despite the efforts it might just be too late for my mother to enjoy reading. She's a lot like me in that she has difficulty reading for solely pleasure. My mother even questions my choice of major sometimes because she doesn't necessarily see the benefits in reading.
When I asked my father about his experiences with reading it was a lot of the same issues that my mother had mentioned. My father is very "old school" and stuck in his ways. He sees school as something you have to do and reading falls under that same category. He realizes the importance of an education but doesn't understand the fundamentals needed to succeed, and that reading is major factor. When asked to remember a book that he last read my father honestly couldn't recall which was astonishing to me. Like my mother previously mentioned though, literature wasn't a major focus in there upbringing at school.
After speaking with both my parents, I came to the conclusion that an interest in reading should be fostered at the earliest stages of education. My parents both noted that reading wasn't a particular major focus in school which subsequently lessened their interest in reading as they got older. I believe they treat reading more so like a responsibility rather than something they could possibly enjoy doing. Now I realize I have difficulty in reading for pleasure myself but I also understand the importance of being able to comprehend what I am reading and also have the willingness to read books that may not interest me.

Keziah

10/15/2018 01:37:39 pm

I think it's definitely very important to consider cultural reading values, especially if teaching in a more diversely populated school. This is enlightening to that. If the parents of a child didn't come for a literature-rich learning background, that child's home environment is less likely to lead to active interest in reading. The classroom should strive to be a place to foster that interest in earlier schooling.

David Orten

10/14/2018 04:54:12 pm

Jeremy has never been an avid reader. As a visual artist who focuses his attention on painting and filmmaking, he is more inclined to watch a story than to read one. In fact, he hasn’t completely read a book since he was in high school… ten years ago. He tells me about books that he loathed in school—The Old Man in the Sea and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants are mentioned and described in particularly profane detail. Somewhere in between expletives and insults directed at his high school teachers I find him mentioning some specific reasons that he disliked the readings: they were boring, they were “required reading” (and he “f—king hated” that), he simply couldn’t picture the stories in his head.

He does mention a book that he enjoyed reading: Rosemary’s Baby. This makes some sense, as I know Jeremy to be a movie fanatic and horror-genre faithful. He tells me that he watched the movie adaptation before reading the book, and that doing so made it easier for him to visualize what was happening in the text.

While he no longer reads books, Jeremy does occasionally read his friends’ movie scripts. He finds these easier to read and explains that, because they are going to become movies, there is a pragmatism in reading and critiquing them. I find this to be particularly interesting because to effectively edit and critique a script you must be reading and considering the text actively and with thoughtful consideration—techniques employed by skilled readers.

Karissa is 25 and enjoys reading. She tells me that she doesn’t read as much as she would like to, however, and admits that she often does not finish the books that she begins. Still, she says, reading remains a part of her life. She tells me that should would often opt to not read the required books in high school and instead would find herself hiding in the school bathroom, reading her own copy of Harry Potter or Hunger Games.

It seems to me that neither of these people dislike reading. Jeremy does not necessarily hate reading—he merely dislikes long-form works with content that does not interest him. As a teacher there will be suggested readings from the MA Frameworks and required books from my district’s curriculum. However, perhaps I can find some texts within and outside of those requirements that can appeal to different students. Students like Jeremy who do have interests in stories but not in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

Johanna McLean

10/15/2018 05:04:34 am

The first person I spoke to was Nate. He recalled a time when he would read Indian in the Cupboard with his dad before bed, while his dad read his own book. He remembers this as his way of emulating his dad. Outside of this, he says, he doesn’t really remember reading any other books for pleasure. However, he says that from about the third grade on he would read the Boston Globe every morning from cover to cover, then as he got older it would dwindle down to just the sports pages. He recalled the excitement he would have when he would find Sports Illustrated and other sports magazines in the mailbox. These were the days before the internet, so this was the way for him to access sports stats, interviews and articles, and he would pore over every detail. Of school, he admits that he probably never read a single assigned book, yet somehow “BSed” his way through the assignments (direct quote). Just recently he has gone back to reading books for pleasure, and expressed some regret for not reading while he was in school.

My second interviewee was my 16 year old son Noah, who has definitely had a love/hate relationship with books. In kindergarten he was reading the Magic Tree House series which are chapter books, so he was certainly an early reader. But in the past few years, he hasn’t really found much that interests him, other than maybe a graphic novel here or there. He says his most memorable experiences with books was reading the Percy Jackson series, and he also enjoyed reading Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in school a few years ago. As a class, they even performed a few scenes from the play which he really liked. Noah says that he doesn’t like to be forced to read a book and if he loses interest he will just drop it.

The main thing that I found with these two interviews is that they both may not have read books specifically, but would read things that interest them, like newspapers, magazines, graphic novels, or even plays. I think that this speaks to the fact that every student will have certain things that spark their interest and it will probably be different for every student. Both Noah and Nate stated that they didn’t like the idea of being forced to read a book, which I think is a pretty common response from most students. I think the most important thing for a teacher to do is to find that thing that will pique a student’s interest, but of course that is very hard to do with a class full of students.

Stephanie Bertram

10/15/2018 07:40:17 am

Hi Johanna, I found my interviews went similar to yours. The two people I interviewed were my parents, and my mother enjoyed reading books, my father however does not. He grew up with strict teachers that forced and made him read books that he had no interest in, and the forcing is what made him not want to read on his own. My father enjoys reading newspaper, magazines and online articles, and hated to be forced to read. I completely agree with you that students should not be forced to read, but enabled and allowed to choose their reading choices. Although students do need to read certain things for school and classes, I think it should be done in a fun and entertaining way not a dreadful manner. One way a teacher can make students enjoy to read is having a library or a selection of books that vary with all genres and topics and book styles. I enjoyed your post, and felt that we had similar experiences with this assignment!

Stephanie

10/15/2018 08:22:03 am

Hi Johanna,
I liked that you interviews two people with different takes on reading. My two were also very different in their reading habits. I that its extremely important to understand that everyone has a their own interests and own reading habits. My mothers loves to read and my husband hates it. he only really reads article on the Web and has no desire to read books for joy. My mom on the other hand hands me books and says here read this you'll love it. Normally I do read them and she's right I do like them but its a totally different feeling than when i discuss books at home with my husband.

Jackie Rehm

10/15/2018 11:06:20 am

Johanna,
It's such a common tragedy that readers stop reading when they feel forced. I stopped drawing when it felt forced, because I felt as though the expectations people had of me were something I would never live up to. I feel as though readers may get discouraged if they don't like the context (I remember reading boring books in high school), or if the language is too hard. I agree with you in saying that teachers need to find books that capture the interests of students. The challenge is prevalent, but we can do it! It's hard with curriculum standards, but if we work to tie the book in with the rest of the course material, we can create an engaging environment.

Stephanie Bertram

10/15/2018 07:32:48 am

I first interviewed my mother who is an active reader, and has been most of her life. She has always loved to read, and found it quite relaxing. She went to a private Catholic school where she said they had many times where they had to be silent, so she usually spent this time reading books. As she became older and busier, she mentioned that reading is a way for her to relax and unwind after a busy day with three children and a full day of work. The next person I interviewed was my father, a man who I have rarely ever seen holding an actual book. HE mentioned that in school he dreaded reading because his teachers had always forced him and his classmates to read, and he did not like to be forced. He mentioned that he does enjoy reading today, but he prefers to read news, sports, and articles about things that interest him; not novels or fiction. He said that when he was younger and in grade school, he would purposely not read when told just to get a rise out of his teachers.
After interviewing both my mother and father I have come to the conclusion that most people do enjoy some sort of reading, but everyone has a different taste. My mother loves to read fiction and mystery books, when my father thinks that they are a waste of time, and would much rather read the newspaper and catch up with the day to day life. Both my parents had experiences relayed to school, and my mother seemed to enjoy the reading time and my father did not. I have realized that although reading is needed for students, you can not force them. You need to allow them to enjoy and find an aspect that they like about reading and try not to make it seem like a chore. Make the readings and the texts enjoyable and fun is what I think I need to try to do in my own classroom one day.

Stephanie

10/15/2018 08:13:52 am

The two people I interviewed were my husband Matt and my mom. They are both very different in their reading habits. My mother who reads more books in a month than most people read in a year and my husband who I have never seen pick up a book, other than handing me mine.
My mother recalled a book that she had read in middle school, of course she couldn’t remember anything about the book, probably because she was asked to remember, but she said there was something about that book that sparked her interest in reading and she just never really stopped. She enjoys reading science fiction books, the ones that aren’t too crazy but make you wonder what if, mainly about vampires.
My husband on the other had recalled the reading the small books on the bus ride home in kindergarten and first grade. He told me, “it’s not that I can’t read, it’s just that when I do read I don’t retain anything and I get lost.” For him he said that he can read a whole page in a book and get to the bottom and have no clue what he just read and that he can’t follow along with the characters so therefore he just doesn’t read. It isn’t worth it to him. As for me I wish that I could change this for him, but I’m not really sure I can.

Stephanie Doyle

10/15/2018 08:24:11 am

I forgot to mention that in my two interviews I learned that there is a importance to understanding that not everyone is the same and that knowing this will help out in the long run when it comes to teaching.

Jackie Rehm

10/15/2018 10:59:37 am

Stephanie,
As a reader, I struggle with the issue your husband faces as well. Sometimes I will read a page, and I won't retain anything. I have to read the same page over and over again until I understand. This is always the case when it comes to assigned reading (usually scholarly journals) at the university level.

Hayley Barner

10/15/2018 08:31:25 am

For my first interview I asked my roommate Lisa, a health studies major, what her thoughts on reading were mostly in school. She generalized her memories in elementary education and middle school as "good." She remembers being required to read after finishing snack or lunch in elementary school. Students could either bring a personal book in or choose a book from the shelf in the classroom. In middle school, after finishing work before other classmates, students were required to read quietly until everyone was done. Lisa didn't mind this because it actually forced her to read which she would not have done on her own.

For my second interview I asked my friend Matt how he felt about reading. He didn't have a strong opinion for or against, but one of his best memories was the "big box reading treehouse" that was in his elementary school classroom. Students would earn a chance to sit in the treehouse to read quietly. However, Matt liked this house because he could take the opportunity to nap and not actually read… Yikes! He did not like required reading and admitted he has never read for personal enjoyment. He once bought a book, but never read it.

As a future teacher, first off, I would not have a dark, reading treehouse for napping! However, I like the concept of having an area for reading. I think it is important to start encouraging reading outside of school that is not required, but for enjoyment. Everybody reads in school whether they like it or not. With the rise of technology, I feel it is important that students are reading when they finish work instead of checking phones and playing games. I certainly fall into this category, but as a future elementary teacher, I would hope and make sure that students do not have phones with them in class. Hopefully by requiring personal reading during quiet times or after snacks and work, children will start enjoying reading at an earlier age and carry positive memories of reading with them as they develop.

Jenessa Monast

10/15/2018 09:45:52 am

As I read my colleague's (and my own) responses two key questions arise. First, how much responsibility is and should be placed on teachers to foster a love of reading? Are we taking too much responsibility for a student's success or failure at reading? When does it fall on the student to identify himself as a fan of reading? Secondly, why do we require a classroom full of individuals to read the same book? Of course this allows for class discussion, but would freedom of selection also allow for students to share what they have learned with classmates? This would be a great opportunity for a class to learn about more books than they could possibly read in a semester and allow individual students an opportunity to both choose and present on a topic they are passionate about.

Johanna McLean

10/15/2018 10:18:05 am

I have the same thought, Jenessa. It's obvious that students are more likely to read about topics that interest them, and from my interviews I realized that that reading might not always come from a book but other type of reading like a magazine or graphic novel. Your question about why we make everyone read the same book really struck me and I totally agree. Is there a way to allow for more freedom of choice in certain reading activities? It could definitely allow for discussion as the children would have the responsibility of sharing their experience with the class and I think that putting them in charge like that can be empowering for the student.

Keziah

10/15/2018 01:32:57 pm

I like the idea of doing reading after work, separating the two in the child's brain, and helping them to see it as something rewarding or fun, a break from actual work. That sounds like a smart way to get children interested in reading from a young age, especially if they are already inclined to that sort of environment.

Samantha M

10/15/2018 11:29:53 am

Summary
The two people I interviewed were from different generations. One was from a much older generation who went to school in 1950 and another went to school in 1980. I did this to see how much the reading variety has changed, and to see if there could be any similarities between my generation and the older generations. In the first interview she explains that in the 1950’s she was not interested in reading because the teachers did not make it very appealing to her, and it wasn’t until she got into the work force with other people that she began to read what her friends were suggesting to her. She then revealed that once she got into reading her favorite book was Leon Iris’ book Trinity and really disliked the 911 Report because of the sadness.The second interview explained that she remembers reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and enjoying it but hated reading Hamlet in school.
Analysis
After looking at my generation and what I enjoy reading, and what the other two different generations had to say about their reading experience, it was obvious that there was a disconnect between the three. The disconnect between the three is that what we learned and read were different from each other. None of the three generations have ever been taught the same books in school or read the same books. We all have different preferences from each other. However, we did share a common dislike for the way reading was taught to us. We all were never interested in reading until later in life when it became more of something we wanted to do than what we had to do.

Jackie Rehm

10/15/2018 11:36:33 am

When I spoke with Cassie about her experiences as a reader, her eyes sparkled with interest. Cassie has always been a reader; her favorite genre of books are historical fiction and nonfiction. Cassie’s desire to read historical texts comes from her papa, who was always interested in his Irish heritage. Deeply rooted in historical texts are love stories, gory battle scenes, bravery and dishonesty, old politics, and eery foreshadowings of the future. All of these elements keep her turning the pages a mile a minute. In school, Cassie always completed the assigned readings, but never really took the initiative to read outside of school. It wasn’t until her papa passed away that she decided to invest her time in investigating the past. For this avid reader, historical literature allows Cassie to time-travel into the past and fight right alongside the warriors, mend wounds with the nurses, flee the country with her lover, and start a new life in another nation.

Paige is a high school junior. Paige loves to read, but surprisingly mostly outside of school. Her current favorites are “A Tale of Two Cities” and “The Mortal Instrument” series. Paige is an honors student in high school. She does not like reading in school because there are too many distractions. Paige reads her best when she is at home, or by herself in a peaceful setting. Paige likes “A Tale of Two Cities” because it was a challenging read, but the language illustrated the novel beautifully. “The Mortal Instrument” series was introduced by her friend, and it’s about demons, mythical creatures, and it has elements of romance. Paige says English is her least favorite subject; science and math are her best subjects. She says English has always been hard for her, and English classes don’t really interest her at all….However, she will be taking AP English next year.

Cassie and Paige both enjoy reading, but they have found the most joy in reading after school. Similar to what Johanna says, if a student feels pressured to read, then literature becomes unromanticized. It prompts me to wonder, how will I motivate students to read? How will I encourage my students to see the beauty in reading? This is something I know I will struggle with.

Samantha M

10/15/2018 12:51:00 pm

I see throughout everyone’s posts that there are some who love to read and some who are not fond of reading. It is interesting to see everyone’s reading experiences and see everyone take different approaches in telling everyone’s story. I took the point of view from generations and how they are different or the same.

Keziah

10/15/2018 01:27:37 pm

I first interviewed my girlfriend, Averie. Averie too advanced classes in high school, not because she enjoyed reading for school, but simply because she liked a challenge. She recalls hating Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities, saying she found it “pretentious, and you could tell he got paid by the word”. She had difficulty engaging with the text because she couldn’t even see it as a challenge, citing that the only challenging thing about it was its length. She was able to remember many books she read in high school that she did not like, but struggled to think of one that she did; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. As a more science inclined individual, she stopped pursuing English and literature classes in college.
Outside of school, she does actively enjoy reading, finding books with realistic characters, but surreal and absurd elements most entertaining. She is most enamored with science fiction, recently reading the book It Devours.
Next I interviewed my mother, Michelle. She is a much more avid reader, president of a book club (and only member who has read every book since its inception seven years ago), who focused primarily on literature classes in her schooling. She recalls he least favorite book that she read in school to be Red Badge of Courage, not being entertained by war or otherwise overtly masculine stories. It was the only reading for that year she didn’t finish. In 8th grade, she read 1984; finding herself to be terrified by its contents yet stricken with its prose, she would go on to read it several times on her own. She states that her “true real life most memorable reading experience” was Dr Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. It was the first book she ever read entirely on her own, reading it in the grocery store when her mother refused to buy it for her. She would eventually get it as a graduation present. Because she was deprived of reading materials as a child, she collected the whole set of Dr Seuss classics for her children and used them to teach us how to read.

I gather from this that every person, regardless of their learning focus (Science vs English), has the capacity to enjoy reading, even at an academic level. The key is for them to find something to connect with. My mother, for example, requires being able to sympathize and care about the characters, while Averie is more interested in the strange elements of a text, and isn’t interested in what she would consider “pretentious”. So perhaps it is important to help the students find something about a book that they care about individually. Even if this won’t get them to enjoy the book as a whole, it can give them guidance toward finding a topic to think about while reading it, and give them something to focus a later paper or assignment on, being able to drag the value out of something they aren’t particularly fond of.

Crowd-sourcing attitudes of readers: a first (online)book club

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