Synopses & Reviews
Reading is a revolutionary act, an act of engagement in a culture that wants us to disengage. In The Lost Art of Reading, David L. Ulin asks a number of timely questions why is literature important? What does it offer, especially now? Blending commentary with memoir, Ulin addresses the importance of the simple act of reading in an increasingly digital culture. Reading a book, flipping through hard pages, or shuffling them on screen it doesn't matter. The key is the act of reading, the seriousness and depth. Ulin emphasizes the importance of reflection and pause allowed by stopping to read a book, and the focus required to let the mind run free in a world that is not one's own. Far from preaching to the choir, The Lost Art of Reading is a call to arms, or rather, pages.
Review
"[A] thoughtful, candid, and gratifyingly balanced inquiry. He writes with surpassing eloquence and insight." Booklist
Review
"It's clear about midway into this endeavor (expanded from the original Los Angeles Times piece of the same name published last summer) that Ulin wants to slow dance with the third response. But it's his cognizance of the seduction and perils of the first two reactions that makes it work, and positions Ulin's quiet, levelheaded argument for reading among the most compelling of this loud, divided time in literary culture." Kevin Smokler, Rain Taxi (Read the entire Rain Taxi review)
Synopsis
Blending commentary with memoir, Ulin addresses the importance of the simple act of reading in an increasingly digital culture. Reading a book, flipping through hard pages, or shuffling them on screen — it doesn't matter. The key is the act of reading, the seriousness and depth.
About the Author
David L. Ulin has lived in Los Angeles since 1991. From 1993-6 he was the book editor of the LA Weekly. He is currently on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, and writes regularly for the LA Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and the Los Angeles Times.