Proust and the Squid

In Proust and the Squid Maryanne Wolf explores the question of reading acquisition… both the acquisition of reading in our species and its acquisition by the individual.  She begins by exploring the development of reading in various human cultures and how various regions of the brain had to be co-opted to make this new skill work.  Because reading is a “cultural tool” we foist upon our brain it is not genetically there, consequently every new reader most reiterate the process required to get the brain reading and reading at a rate of fluency.  Wolf uses this bridge to continue on with an examination of the individual reader’s development of the skill with a particular focus on where and why this process can go wrong.

All in all this was a fascinating book with some implications about how you can help your reluctantly reading children and suggestions about when you need professional help so the child does not fall irredeemably behind.  I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in exploring how reading works.