How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom
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Book Reviews of How to Read and Why
Book Review: A Must Read
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent introduction to critical reading of fiction. Dr. Bloom discusses in detail the methods for reading plays, short stories, novels and poetry - using examples from modern and classic artists. He challenges the reader to place themselves in the work - to discover the self within the art. His advice is practical and enjoyable. His insights are both profound and straightforward. He uses a writing style that is very approachable and sprinkled with humor and homespun comfort. Far from making the reading of literature a challenging experience, Dr. Bloom fully opens the eyes of the reader to the enjoyment and simplicity of the writer's art. For anyone who reads fiction - you almost must, must read this book.Book Review: A Blooming Waste
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm not much of a reviewer, but I do know how to warn people. If you get this book you will not find out how to read a book, you will not find out why to read a book, you will learn more than you want to know about the random blathering of an outdated, self-absorbed, academic eunich. The book appears to be Professor Bloom's chance to espouse every opinion he ever had and espouse them as gospel requiring no proof or support. He tells me that I should read to discover myself, then he gives a bunch of plot summaries and oblique references to Chekov or Borges. I don't know if I found myself in this book, but I came to my senses after about 80 pages.Book Review: A fun book, but doesn't deliver what it promises.
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked up How to Read and Why from the library and read it in two days; it was a very fun book and made me want to read more. Its biggest problem is that it simply doesn't tell you how to read. It tells you what to read. You'd be better served simply doing a Google search for the various short stories it covers in chapter 2. They're all good and you can find most of them online. I copied and pasted 5 of them (they're public domain) and printed them out. They're all worth reading.
Basically, How to Read and Why is a fun book, but you might as well just buy the books that are listed in the index. Bloom doesn't add too much to them.
Book Review: Literacy Guide
Summary: 4 Stars
Bloom's title could not help but appeal to a typical Language Arts teacher in a typical high school. I am facing a school with a history of poor literacy skills in a district with a similiar history. Most literacy programs use a 5th and 6th grade approach with high school students who have scored at that level, and wonder why they are not very successful. Bloom writes for adults, and his approach could well undergird an introduction to remedial readers in high school.Book Review: Passionate and Comprehensive
Summary: 5 Stars
Bloom once again informs the American public on the importance of a reading aesthetic. With passion and incredible insight America's foremost literary scholar will take the avid reader to new heights in how they approch literature. If you consider yourself one who searches for more in lit than mere plot this book will give you new perspectives on what many consider to be some of history's greatest literary works. I highly recommend it