“The Power Of Some Needs The Folly Of Others.”

Was ever a book more needed than this one?

Reader, Come Home comes in the wake of Maryanne Wolf`s previous book, Proust and the Squid, in which she charted mankind`s invention of reading and the way in which that invention changed our brains, which in turn “altered the intellectual evolution of our species”.

In Reader, Come Home the author demonstrates that reading in the digital world re-wires our brains and suggests that, with some urgency, we should take a long hard look at the implications of that, especially for young people.

Wolf is a neuroscientist and her explanation of what happens in the brain is properly based on a wide range of research. But this is not a dry, scientific thesis. She uses metaphor and anecdote to communicate complicated processes and addresses the reader in the form of letters, coaxing us to contemplate the somewhat unnerving ramifications of her findings.

Central to an understanding is the perhaps surprising notion that “in the evolution of our brain`s capacity to learn, the act of reading is not natural”. It is the `plasticity` of the brain which has enabled us to develop this wonderful skill: unfortunately it is that very plasticity, the active way in which the brain is reacting to digital media, which may mean we are in danger of losing our ability to read “deeply”.

And that does not mean reading lots of very worthwhile literature. In this context it means reading attentively, as an act of contemplation which helps develop qualities of empathy and skills of critical analysis. Wolf argues that because digital media – the medium is the message – can be demonstrated to significantly alter the brain`s wiring, we are in danger of losing those skills and qualities.

Importantly, though, Reader, Come Home is far from being a Luddite`s charter. The author describes our transition to a digital culture as “the greatest explosion of creativity, invention and discovery in our history.” Rather, her exciting and radical proposition is that we work towards an understanding of the “limits and possibilities of both the literacy based (reading) circuit and digital-based ones”, aiming for the “best possible integration” of both.

And Wolf`s conclusions are perhaps the most arresting. She suggests that if we ignore these warnings it will be a massive abrogation of our responsibility to educate in a way that produces readers who are capable of analytical engagement rather than passive consumerism.

If we fail, she argues, it is a short step to populations who lack empathy, especially if they are denied the time and space to read a wealth of stories and who are unable to “process information vigilantly,” therefore being susceptible to propaganda and demagoguery.

Hence the importance of this book. Everyone should read it: parents and librarians, anyone who thinks they`re less able to concentrate on reading a book than they used to be and most especially teachers. And more important than reading it, is to act on it. A big ask but vital and here is a manifesto and handbook rolled into one.