Meghan Cox Gurdon

This was a very enjoyable read, that is, I had a good time reading it and was entertained and pulled along throughout. And while I think Gurdon does a good job laying out an argument for reading aloud (especially to children, though to anyone, really), her discussion often felt unnuanced, both in its seeming complete disavowal of screens (from reading Enchanted Hour you'd be forgiven feeling that Gurdon has never fallen in love with a movie or TV show or ever had an experience of sharing in an imaginative world that came from *anywhere else* than a book) and in the way it ignores real barriers to reading aloud (is she talking only to college-educated, middle-class, (white?) folks here? it seems like maybe she is. which, eh.). I also found myself wondering repeatedly if she had investigated whether reading aloud continued to work its magic with people who previously didn't like reading. Do parents who don't read themselves enjoy reading to their kids? Do their kids enjoy the read alouds? Do adults who don't like to read enjoy being read aloud to? So many questions unanswered. A nice read, and it makes it pretty clear that reading aloud is good for development and familial bonding, but there's so much work the book could have done that it doesn't that it's hard to recommend.… (mer)

This book champions reading aloud to children and teens. The author cites research as she makes her arguments for its benefits. She briefly touches on benefits for the adult reading (or listening). Technological threats to reading aloud earns a place as a major theme. The book is perhaps too academic in tone for most adults and not academic enough for the academic market. The use of hidden end notes limits its academic usefulness even more. An appendix lists read-alouds, but its lack of annotation limits its usefulness to parents unfamiliar with the books. Still the book presents interesting information, but perhaps not in an engaging manner.… (mer)

It could be me. It could be the German translation. I can't force myself to read any more of this. Horribly boring.

I'm not sure how useful the Brain scans are. Lying still in a scanner with something playing in earphones and watching pictures on a screen is a totally different situation from normal being read to. In fact it is much more like using a tablet.

Ancient Greeks reciting the Iliad is impressive, but has very little to do with reading a book to a child today.

Perhaps this gets better, but I won't be finding that out.… (mer)