Gatekeeping and the Academic Dillema: A review of David L. Ulin's The Lost Art of Reading

David L. Ulin's The Lost Art of Reading was the type of non-fiction text I typically really enjoy: it makes a case for something (reading) and then uses a blend of anecdote and data to make the case. I think Ulin, for the most part, makes the case well: his own narrative of a lifetime love of reading is infectious. He breaks stories down into more than just things you sit with for an hour or two, but things that influence the way you interpret your life. In particular, I love the way he describes seeing different places he's traveled through the lens of different texts he's read. As someone who never goes anywhere without a book and who is just as likely to categorize people based on literary characters as Sex and the City characters, I could relate to his feelings pretty strongly.

That same strength, though, also works as the biggest flaw in his writing: he's preaching to the converted. For most people who weren't readers, the messages about reading changing the way you see the world wouldn't land, and the scenes from literature--especially the more obscure literature--would intimidate, confuse, and (frankly) bore a beginning reader. I'm not saying that it's Ulin's job to recruit new readers or initiate them into a bibliophile club or the like. Not at all. Still, one would think that if he wanted to write a book explaining the benefits of being a reader, he would want to reach out to non-readers rather than preach to a room of folks that agree with him. It's a bit self-indulgent and this book just isn't very accessible to those who aren't academics. . . and isn't it possible that that very issue has contributed to the decline in reading? All the gatekeeping has made it feel like reading is for the Niles and Frasiers of the world, not the Martins. Doing something to dispel that would have been a good move here.

I have to say, though, I still found this book to be a really worthwhile read and even though I think it will be very challenging for my students, I plan to use it in my comp class next Spring. There are many lines of conversations that are worth exploring through discussion and writing, and I look forward to seeing what my students will make of it. Maybe they'll prove me wrong and I'll find it is capable of converting non-readers after all.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC I was given in exchange for a fair and honest review.