Becoming a Slow Reader
Michael Ramey
Even with all of the resources out there, I still find it difficult to choose a book to read. It is similar to browsing through Netflix to find a show to watch; having more choice is wonderful, but the sheer number of choices is overwhelming. Making that choice can feel like a commitment. After going through a history master’s program where I had to read five-to-ten books a week, I developed an appreciation for taking my time with a book. In other words, I have officially become a slow reader.
For example, the book I have been reading off and on for the past year is Daniel Walker Howe’s What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848, which is part of the Oxford History of the United States series. While engaging and informative, I find that I can only read a little at a time in contrast with reading through an 800-page book in two weeks like I used to do. Of course, the fact the book is bigger than a brick and that it is a comprehensive history of a specific time period likely dissuades me from plugging away at it more consistently.
With cellphones and the internet as a constant looming presence, I find my attention span is not what it used to be. This has impacted the number of books I read per year. Unfortunately, I have become less patient with books as well. Even with the recent books I finished reading, it took me several tries to get through them.
I suppose part of my reluctance with reading books at a fast pace is because heavy reading is part of my job. That is not to say I do not enjoy reading, but I find I unwind better at the end of the day with music or playing a video game. I now no longer worry about how many books I have read per year; now I focus on the quality of what I have read.
What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe
Call Number: E338 .H69 2007
ISBN: 9780195392432
Publication Date: 2009-09-23
The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. In this Pulitzer prize-winning, critically acclaimed addition to the series, historian Daniel Walker Howe illuminates the period from the battle of New Orleans to the end of theMexican-American War, an era when the United States expanded to the Pacific and won control over the richest part of the North American continent.Howe's panoramic narrative portrays revolutionary improvements in transportation and communications that accelerated the extension of the American empire. Railroads, canals, newspapers, and the telegraph dramatically lowered travel times and spurred the spread of information. These innovationsprompted the emergence of mass political parties and stimulated America's economic development from an overwhelmingly rural country to a diversified economy in which commerce and industry took their place alongside agriculture. In his story, the author weaves together political and military eventswith social, economic, and cultural history. He examines the rise of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic party, but contends that John Quincy Adams and other Whigs--advocates of public education and economic integration, defenders of the rights of Indians, women, and African-Americans--were the trueprophets of America's future. He reveals the power of religion to shape many aspects of American life during this period, including slavery and antislavery, women's rights and other reform movements, politics, education, and literature. Howe's story of American expansion culminates in the bitterlycontroversial but brilliantly executed war waged against Mexico to gain California and Texas for the United States.Winner of the New-York Historical Society American History Book PrizeFinalist, 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction
What Hath God Wrought by