Becoming an Active Reader

           5 Methods to Become an Active Reader. 

I always feel a sense of pride when a student of mine begins to show interest in reading. It’s not that I feel like I was the one that showed them the door or as if I transformed them. I feel proud because they discovered something that will end up helping them in the long run. They chose to change and grow as individuals. Whether it be a romance or action-adventure novel or diving into philosophy and or some other subject, seeing them take an active interest in reading is fulfilling. 

           Now, there is such a thing as an Active Reader and a Passive Reader. A passive reader blows threw their reading list and can’t even remember any names or major events. For them, reading is as effective as tuning out while watching tv or on the phone. For a passive reader, books are just another distraction. An active reader, however, is changed by the reading. They question everything and are thrust into the world of the fiction or nonfiction they read. Reading combines with voluntary studying and can be used as a method of growth and personal development. The active reader is a critical thinker that actively investigates the book further and tries to dive deeper into the world.

1. Critical Thinking

The first method for becoming an active reader is Critical thinking. This requires one to actively reflect on what is being read. Ask yourself if you truly understood the message of the text and the author’s intention. Critical thinking works best if the subject matter is talked about with others. It is the way to expand the mind, to grow and bring in a new perspective to seemingly ordinary situations. Think of these questions:

What were the intentions of the author in writing the book this way? Do the authorial intentions even matter? Why is this book popular or unpopular? Will it or has it stood the test of time? Why?

     Those, of course, are not the only questions. Ask yourself about character motivation, the intentions behind the setting and atmosphere. Was it a plot-driven story or a character-driven one? Can this be seen in the real world or is this text focusing on a particular subject?

     Now it feels as if the advice I am giving applies only to a fiction text, but there is a whole slew of questions to be asked even about textbooks. Think about authorial intention when reading a history book. Should Columbus be seen as the hero, the villain, or just a guy that stumbled upon some land? Was the author biased to some idea or nation? I remember in a literature class that I took we spoke about the author’s intentions and the bias on a world history book. The entire book was European centric. Less than a chapter for the entirety of south Saharan Africa and about two chapters to cover China, India, and parts of Japan. Think of the world’s greatest tragedies, now ask yourself how do textbooks cover these events? 

     Movies and shows work the same way. An example is reality television. A camera recording everything, but the audience doesn’t see all 72 or so hours of recording, no, the audience sees what the editors chose as the highlights of events thereby giving reality a sort of narrative filled with arcs, conclusions, and even some seeming character development. The reality was then turned into a story. Even in science textbooks, the language influences how certain material is learned. It tries to maintain its logos appeal, but because there are people behind this curtain, there is always an influence.

Critical thinking creates an open discussion of the material read, either with a community or with yourself. Take Isaac Asimov’s The Foundation Trilogy a science fiction series the first of which, Foundation was written in 1951 in what many call the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Inspired by Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Asimov created an empire that encompassed the entire galaxy with several people fearful of the empire’s end. He was inspired by ancient history and his work inspired writers such as Orson Scott Card, writer of Ender’s Game, who wrote in his introduction, “The novel set me, not to dreaming, but to thinking… The premise of Foundation seemed to be that even though you might change the props and actors, the play of human history is always the same.” (Scott Card xi)

Books inspire, change, transform people because of the number of ideas and opinions they bring. Sure, they may take you to far off lands, but it is because of this that enormous ideas can be tackled. What is the future of humanity? Ask yourself, what is the history of human’s thoughts on the future? How do we see the future now compared to medieval people or early twentieth century dreamers? 

There is a book for everyone out there, but regardless one should try and read things that are either out of their comfort zones or explore completely different ideas. The most important thing is to be critical of what you are reading. 

2 Increase in Knowledge 

If you love reading fiction, try reading a little nonfiction. If you love science explore literature and vice versa. Reading should not mean that you will limit yourself to a single state of mind. It is easy to get tangled up in the worlds of young adult literature or to only ever go to epic fantasy worlds. One has to try to expand the mind to allow oneself to grow. 

The most obvious part of increasing knowledge is vocabulary. Yeah, this is true, but only if you are active about it. Have a notebook with you and jot down new words. Trivia: this is the same advice I give to my English language learners when I try to help them in reading in English. Turn those notes into flashcards and practice them, that is how you increase the vocabulary. While learning can be a subconscious choice when working with vocabulary and suddenly you know how to use a word thanks to a character or author who used it, it can be so much more if you actively practice many more words. 

Imagine yourself reading a whole new genre, a new style you had never explored, or a new subject that could feel even foreign to you (a classic work, science, or literature from another country), take notes, review them and discipline yourself to remember them. One of the best parts about reading many of the Rick Riordan Presents books like the Storm Runner and Aruh Shah and the End of Time is that they come with a glossary at the end of the book introducing readers to new words and terms relating to their respective mythologies and cultures. 

           Once this process begins the mind will learn how to learn and get better at it! One will start to absorb information left and right if one reads, reads and reads. An increase in critical thinking and exploring topics that are either taboo, from another culture, or another time simply increases in the variety of ways that one sees the world and understands it. 

Doing this, note-taking and reviewing will help with memory, vocabulary, and the knowledge to explore the world one lives in with new insight. Memory quickly expands and becomes better and better the more you read. If at first one feels overwhelmed don’t fret, your mind is a powerful tool and it will adjust and greatly appreciate this intake of knowledge.

Look at Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, it is a short novel that explores the danger and the importance of novels, reading, and stories. In a future apocalyptic world, books are taboo and society itself is at a controlled standstill. Nothing changes and everything is in a perfect order that snuggly fits into the government’s box. Our main character discovers how reading brings people together, how it was these ideas that changed the world and how they can do so again. Society is afraid of people with knowledge and books because of the power they have to think outside the box and destroy it completely!

3 New Points of Views and Perspectives

What makes George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire such an interesting series? Is it the fact that we have a show that was inspired by it with dragons, ice zombies, and bloody battles? What truly makes the book series such an interesting read is the fact that, while there are dragons and magic in the world, we see the world through the eyes of beloved and relatable characters. George RR Martin, in the books, created hundreds of characters each with different motivations, dreams, and desires. We emphasize with Tyrion and Catelyn, we understand each one’s motive even if we don’t agree with their methods.

Reading does this on a huge scale! Every book is an entrance to a whole new way of thinking and looking at the world. If we either like or dislike a character the reader should ask why is that so? Usually how we respond to other’s writing or opinions on books is a reflection on our values and morals. Do we want to be as vile or as heroic as certain characters? 

Reading allows us to understand the motives and history of a character and what they have gone through. For the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, we see the struggle of a girl not wanting to conform to the norms of society, a mother fighting desperately to protect her children, and even a father with a secret. We see underdogs being told by the world that they are not good enough because of who they are. We see how these characters cry and fight back the world to come out stronger and all the while, they are flawed humans trying to be loved, trying to do right by their family or themselves.

Another example of this is Rick Riordan’s transition from First person point of view to a third-person point of view when writing. In the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we only ever saw the story through Percy’s eyes. We grew up with him and understood why he was the way he was. But in the sequel series (which for me is incredible) The Heroes of Olympus we not only follow Percy on his adventure, but we dive into the minds of Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Jason and more. Each character has a history, each one struggles and fights for what they believe in. for me, the series became so much better when it expanded into this method of multiple points of view. The world only seemed to grow. 

Reading is seeing the work of another human being telling you a story sending a message. We relate and sympathize or even hate the decisions made by a character. It is true when the author of A Game of Thrones says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies” George R. R. Martin.

4      Have a Notebook with you 

Now, I may have mentioned this before, but it is one of the best advice I can give, always keep a notebook with you. This is not only for the new vocabulary, but if you are a reader like me this is a way to refresh, review, and jot down some ideas. You may not be an aspiring author, but trust me, even if you don’t want to be a writer, keep a notebook with you always. Not only to jot down dates and appointments or things like that but use it as a diary or a journal. If you had an amazing, or impactful dream and you want to remember it or reflect on it, write it down. if someone gave you a new idea if you thought of something just walking about, write it down. having a notebook (or notebooks…) is the best way to help your mind get organized.

It might come as no secret to say that this is my favorite of all the advice I have to give. Reading teaches us, it is a teacher we keep on our shelves as books or store in our kindles as ebooks. Reading allows the reader to learn new and interesting things. Imagine exploring world mythology and seeing just how the ancients understood and saw the world they lived in like in Bulfinch’s Mythology. Or perhaps we can travel to one of the most critical moments in French History and see the transformation of a nation and a man like in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. Or perhaps we are more in the mood of a world-changing epic that tells the story of the foundation of one of the most powerful empires in Occidental culture through myth and legend like in The Aeneid of Virgil.

Write it down. why do you like this? What new ideas or goals do you have? Do you need to schedule your day, do you need to get things done? Keep a notebook with you. When I worked in a museum I would go with a notebook at hand, always. I would use the quiet time to explore old ideas or reflect on actions and events. Maybe I met someone that inspired a character or I had a great conversation with a new person. Writing it down, even if in just a note helps the mind to remember and allow itself to get organized. 

We can learn of Arabian nights, or Shinto gods, warriors and legends that have transformed the world in some way or another, we can travel to ancient Brittan and read about King Arthur and the Knights of the round table to read about Germanic folklore and traditions. When we write it down, our favorite parts, or the part that most inspired us, everything changes and the minds start to rewire itself. Reading opens the world, it opens history and fantasy, it shows us the possibilities for the future or the fears within ourselves, and writing allows us to reflect on those worlds.

5 Imagination and Inspiration

Now this one is easy. After exploring the world imagine you want to take on another path of the adventure you were just on. Reading allows us to see worlds presented to us but our minds are worlds and labyrinths all on their own, what reading does is empower the mind. Now those first sentences might have seemed somewhat cliché but I have to admit there is a big difference between active readers and the passive ones. I mentioned this in the introduction but we must revisit once more. 

I am not saying that one is better than the other, it all depends on how you use it and what the goals of the person are. If you are reading, just to remember the important details and have no problem forgetting the minor details once you are done, then fine. However, if you are actively trying to make yourself smarter, and grow as a person each day, I implore you to try my methods. After thinking critically, once your vocabulary starts getting better and you start taking notes, it is all going to be reflected in your imagination. And what I mean by this is problem-solving ability, the ability to talk to yourself and help yourself out of the dark places. Your imagination can be your greatest ally if you train it to be.

           Take a look at some fanfiction or ask your favorite author what they like to read. In the novel by Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose our main characters, two monks who explore a labyrinth where they discover a hidden library and there Adso of Melk, one of the monks, says that “Books always speak of other books.” Remember my earlier example? The one about the Foundation Trilogy inspiring Ender’s Game while having been inspired by the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, well here is another example for you. Adso’s mentor is called William of Baskerville if his name sounds familiar it is because Eco was inspired by Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story, The Hounds of the Baskervilles. Sherlock was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s Auguste Dupin who is regarded as the first Gentleman detective. Authors read and authors write what they know, ideas are a labyrinth and all books ever written were inspired by an interconnected human collective consciousness that drives all of our civilizations and history. 

Poe wrote of the Gothic which can be seen as an extension of Romantic literature which was a reaction to the enlightenment which arose out of the ideas of the industrial revolution which came to pass when civilization shifted and the connections go on and on… to be a reader is to be a part of human consciousness and to actively partake in the human experience.

           Your imagination will help you make these connections more and more and see how connected your life is to others. Your creativity will only grow through reading.

           Ever let your mind wander and suddenly your imagination takes hold? Then you’re probably a reader. If you are not and this has happened to you, then trust me when I say your awesome mind will grow and become even greater when you begin to read. Join Percy Jackson as he travels through a reinvention of Greek and Roman myths and even meets the ancient gods themselves and saves the world. Or become a wizard and go to Hogwarts and learn magic and sorcery. Let yourself become inspired by what you have learned. Allow these new perspectives to change you for the better.

           When you are inspired you can take control of your life, learn to think like sherlock, face your fears, or appreciate what you have while fighting for what you want. Becoming a reader is one of the biggest steps to becoming an even more amazing human being. I have seen people inspired all around me because they started reading. Artists and artisans, sword makers and woodworkers, writers and travelers underdogs and dreamers all of which changed their own lives by reading and making the change within themselves.

Conclusion 

Even though that feeling of being left with nothing but a cliffhanger by an author is a crushing, horrible feeling in our guts as readers. And while sometimes we as readers scream and cry (Dobby… *sob) and usually take a breather, some coffee and come back to the novel, reading in itself is a distraction from the stresses of reality. It is through a book that we may not only reduce our stress but calm down and gather ourselves enough to act and change our own lives. Like Neil Gaiman said, “Fiction is the lie that tells the truth. after all.”

           Think of this. For the latest movie of Joker, with Joaquin Phoenix, policemen were stationed in several theaters just in case the movie was a bit too much. How powerful is fiction? It is enough to scare and people know that a movie, a book, a show can change people. Think of all the fiction that has been banned over the years because ideas may spread and infect others. 

Become an active reader, not just concerning books, but become an active reader when viewing movies and shows, when studying for a subject, when visiting a museum. Your mind will only thank you. In a way, every time a good book grips us we feel like Bastian Balthasar Bux from Michael Ende’s Neverending Story. Just like Bux, we as readers fall into the worlds we are reading. Our emotions connect with others and through words, letters, symbols we are given messages through time and space by the authors who put them together. It is a welcomed distraction that makes us grow and become a better version of ourselves.