Proust and the Squid

The Story and Science of the Reading Brain

De: Maryanne Wolf

Narrado por: Kirsten Potter

Interweaving her vast knowledge of neurology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy with fascinating down-to-earth examples and lively personal anecdotes, developmental psychologist, neuroscientist, and dyslexia expert Wolf probes the question, "How do we learn to read and write?" This ambitious and provocative new book offers an impassioned look at reading, its effect on our lives, and explains why it matters so greatly in a digital era.©2007 Maryanne Wolf (P)2008 HighBridge Company

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Wolf's alarm about the spread of semi- literacy among the young is obviously justified, and her book provokes thought about it as only reading can." ( Sunday Times London)
"Blindingly fascinating...detailed and scholarly....There's a lot of difficult material in here. But it's worth the effort....For people interested in language, this is a must. You'll find yourself focusing on words in new ways. Read it slowly--it will take time to sink in." ( The Sunday Telegraph)

I want to buy this for every teacher I know! A must read for every educator.

Outstanding reading performance! Brilliant compilation and discussion! A book with the potential to shape many lives for the better!

Great read

I think this book is a great book for anyone who wants to know more about reading, language, and learning. It attacks the topic on so many levels that even if you had a PhD in the topic you would learn something. However, its vocabulary beaks down these topics into a book that could be read by anyone! I truly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend you at least give it a try!

Deserves your full attention

Listening to this on audio did a disservice to the book. There were several times Wolf asked us to read passages and reflect on what we experienced that I could not engage with because I listened to and did not read the passages.
The first and last thirds were interesting but I got lost during the middle section about how people learn to read. This book explains some complicated processes that I would need to read over and over again to understand and this is difficult when listening while driving. So if you are really interested, you should get a paper copy.
I am unsure if the book would have held my attention enough to finish if I had read a paper copy instead. I think it could benefit from more of an overarching personal storyline of how the reader came to learn about how reading works in her own education/research. This would hold my attention much more to be able to make sense of the dry facts as part of her inquiry into the subject.
I picked up this book because I am interested in learning and teaching in general and it held my interest enough to finish the audiobook. The first section about the history of reading actually made me very curious and happy so the book was worth it for that section alone.

Fascinating

This book will be of particular interest to anyone in education, but also enjoyable for those who just love reading. The narrator is excellent. Highly recommended.

A Great Read

Would you listen to Proust and the Squid again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to Proust and the Squid again because reading along with the book gives you a better understanding of what the author is writing about.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was how wolf shows us how the dyslexic brain works

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book open my eyes on how people treat others when they learn differently from them.

A must-read for every teacher and parent!

Where does Proust and the Squid rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was excellent, but all of my audiobooks have been excellent so far. It was technical, not a story really, but it was time and effort well-spent.

Have you listened to any of Kirsten Potter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to Kirsten Potter before, but I thought she was perfect in her reading of this book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was very excited by the information in this book, both about the brain and its elasticity and about the reading process itself. Enthusiasm was almost a constant emotion as I listened to the book and learned amazing information.

Any additional comments?

I have already started listening to it again, and I ordered the book so I am able to read it for myself (over the summer when I am not teaching and have more free time). There were numerous times I wanted to highlight passages and annotate!

brilliant explanation of how we learned to read

helpful as a reading educator, deep thorough explanation of the reading process, requires careful reading

a welcomed irony.

it's a bit ironic to be listening to a book that romanticizes and elaborates on the importance of reading. but I found this title, though I have listened to it in audible form really has refueled my passion for reading and my appreciation that I have the ability to do so.

Important Book!

Loved this book! I do see it from multiple perspectives:

As a Reading Specialist: this is a lovely, detailed synopsis of the current research on the science of reading. It isn’t a “How To”. It’s purpose to explain the why.
As an avid reader: I loved the narrative style. Non-fiction is not my favorite genre, and I appreciated how well composed this was. It’s at once an informative sharing of the science of reading and a love letter to books!
As a Xillenial: That is someone born between Gen X and Millennials, someone who has lived in both the pre and post-technological worlds, I can understand the authors fear of technology displacing text. Still, the shift happened quickly for me, and I am confident that this generation is developing beautiful minds capable of all. Perhaps, I feel strongly about this, because I had to do just that and I see reciprocal nature of technology and learning mirroring that of literacy and learning.
From a performance standpoint: overall grand job of tackling some tricky content! Just needed to clip the /u/ off those sounds. ;)

Learning To Read & Write

A fascinating exploration into how the brain learns to read and to write. This is not dry science but a mix of stories and complex theory on how the brain works and why things go wrong as in dyslexia.

I think the title has to do with the contrast between the high functioning exploration of thoughts and detail, the Proust part of the title, and the base, more automatic functioning of a simple creature like the Squid. Much of reading and writing is a mix of these two ends of the spectrum. An interplay of the automatic and the carefully focused and dwelt upon. Just a thought.

I throughly enjoyed the book and Potters narration. Recommended if you like seeing things you do each day explored and explained by an expert.