Everything you said in this video was true and helpful. My goddaughter recently challenged me to read a daunting book. I chose "To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf. I've tried numerous times to read it to no avail. So I read about the author's life and how she used her life experiences to write it. Then I watched UA-cam videos specifically about this book and her odd writing style. It made all the difference and I finally finished it. Like you I still didn't get everything but another read thru might do the trick. Having said that, I may never be ready for War and Peace. Instead I went back to an old reliable. The latest C.J. Box novel. Lots of fun and educational in a different way. Sorry to ramble on, but great video again.
This is a fantastic example of exactly what I was describing! As for not reading War and Peace, that's okay, too. :) You shouldn't feel pressure to read something you don't want to, or feel bad because you don't want to read something that other people tell you that you should. At the end of the day, if you like CJ Box, read CJ Box! For every piece of "great literature" I read, I probably read 3 or 4 books just for fun. Thanks for watching, Jeff!
I have to confess that, after 188 pages, The Brothers Karamazov defeated me. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you all of who was who, and what was going on. I feel so stupid. It's just WORDS! Sigh. I usually don't give up on books. But for some reason, and despite reading the back of the book several times, I had missed the part about a love triangle/drama. I don't think they used the term, "love triangle." But the relationships aspect. If I had seen that, I never would have started. And if it did not have that, I would have kept pushing on to the end. Romance drama is just not my thing, especially if I am already struggling with other aspects of a book. Jane Eyre has "romance", and I had no problem with it. I love that book! But it was easier to understand in general (didn't have a large cast of characters) and the romance-y aspect wasn't THE focus of the story. I feel so bad. And dumb. Maybe a different one of his works would be better for me.
There's no shame in declaring a book "not for you." That said, I think that if you'd carried on with the Brothers K, you would have seen that while the "love triangle," is kind of the inciting incident, it's not the main point of the novel. Regardless, there are many other novels in the sea. You don't have to read 'em all :)
Outstanding video, my friend! It took many years of reading comprehension research to converge on this finding-we understand best those things for which we already have prior knowledge. Yes, this seems simple, but think of how many times we’ve been in classes where readings were assigned, we did the readings, and were shocked at how little we remembered or how many important concepts we didn’t catch. Then we felt stupid because we simply didn’t have a cognitive framework established to “hang” all that new knowledge on. My favorite subject exemplifying the importance of prior knowledge and quality instruction is stats. I took three grad courses in stats where the prof assign difficult stats books to read, didn’t have a class syllabus, and proceeded to simply ask the class if we had questions over the readings (most of us didn’t know enough about stats to ask coherent questions!) I didn’t buy the stats book because after reading the first couple of chapters a couple of times I still couldn’t make sense of the concepts. Hell, I didn’t even know the Greek letters used for population parameters! A grad committee member took pity on me and explained the concept of prior knowledge and ranted about the stupidity of how the stats courses at our university were taught. She gave me a simpler book-How to Reason with Statistics. She told me I simply didn’t have enough knowledge and experience with stats to make sense of the difficult readings. Wow! The simpler book (written in plain English) proceeded with building the notion of what type of research questions could be asked; then based on those questions what types of data could be collected; finally, which type of statistical tools could be used to analyze specific data sets to report findings and conclusions. I wouldn’t have gotten through these courses without that book. Nowadays, I could also go to the web to build my prior knowledge. And as you pointed out, this isn’t cheating, it’s what good learners do to develop cognitive frameworks for new information, Contrast the systematic building of stats knowledge through easier readings with the class prof who put up a slide entitled “The Mathematical Assumptions of Analysis of Variance,” and then asked asked, “Any questions?” Every strategy you presented in this video, Adam, has tons of research to support these strategies. Now Dude, your assignment is to look up Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra on UA-cam and try to convince me that you never heard the introduction before!
Thanks, Mike, and thanks for that anecdote! I need to do a better job in my videos of explaining that most (if not all) of my tips are NOT original, but usually come from a basis in actual research. It's funny, when I teach, I do this all the time, but apparently the "Dude" persona doesn't like listing citations ;) Also, I did my homework. That has to be one of the most commonly used pieces in modern movies! But I couldn't for the life of me remember WHICH movies used it, so I cheated and checked wikipedia, only to find that I haven't SEEN the majority of the movies that are known for using it... so I don't know HOW I know that introduction, but I definitely know it!
Adam, now I’m aghast! Your videos are wonderful the way they are! This was my area of study and you don’t need research citations, yuck! I just get VERY excited about talking about learning with you. If I get up to Quebec, I want to take a course FROM YOU! You are a gifted teacher! Sending you a BIG BROHUG!! Mike
Hah. Well, if you're interested in auditing "Global Environment of Business" or "Marketing Analysis and Decision-Making", you're more than welcome in my classroom anytime ;)
@@ADudeWhoReads The use of Strauss's Sunrise theme from the tone poem titled "Also Sprach Zarathustra" in Kubrick's "2001:A Space Odyssey"' is the singular point of origin for all of its subsequent appearances in pop culture. And, as Georgie Borges might say, for any of its previous appearances as well. That is, its influence was so powerful, it spread backwards & forwards in time. All the non-Kubrick occasions when you hear that music are referencing Kubrick. Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL. HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. Dave Bowman: What's the problem? HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do. Trivia question: Why is the computer in "2001" named HAL? (Hint: note that all 3 letters of its name are capitalized.)
@@fiwebster9814 I came to that conclusion when I noticed that almost every use was "space" or "future" themed. That being said, I'm sure that's NOT where I first heard it... and that's the part that's bugging me... unless it's so ubiquitous that I just can't pinpoint the first place I heard it, and my mind is just tricking me into BELIEVING I'm thinking of a single instance... 🤷♂ As for the HAL trivia, I do know the answer to that (as well as the pop theory about where it came from that Clarke and Kubrick denied), so I'll just leave it unanswered for other viewers to challenge themselves with! :)
1.-saber para que lees el libro, Cuál es el objetivo? 2.-lectura superficial: entender cuál es el punto principal, cómo se ejecuta, cómo es el final, sin tomar apuntes. Cuando termines no tendrás los detalles pero si las bases cuál las cuales podrás seguir adelante. 3.-en tu segunda lectura del libro haz tu investigación acerca de los detalles de los que te perdiste la primera vez y esta vez no se arruinará el “flow” de la lectura pues ya sabes lo que se encuentra en el libro. Recordatorio: No hay nadie apurándote, tienes todo el tiempo para aprender y comprender el libro que estás leyendo.
I read Artemis and then The Martian after your recommendation of Project Hail Mary. I could see Weir stretching his character building muscles in Artemis, as you might have predicted. It's a good read, I enjoyed it, but for this reader's time, it's a distant third. For my money, Weir's at his best when he focuses on setting up a death trap and then finding a creative way to escape. I can't think of a single book where this is done to greater effect than in The Martian. There must be 8 or 10 distinct death traps crammed into those 400 some odd pages. I got hooked every time. It's funny, I know you weren't as thrilled by The Martian, but I would never have read it had it not been for your channel. Always appreciate hearing your recommendations, and criticisms, of books.
Happy that I was able to guide you to a book you enjoyed, even if it wasn't one of mine. That's why when I say I like or dislike something I try to explain "why" because my reason for disliking something, might be the very thing another reader loves about it.
Thank you for another brilliant video. I’m late (as usual). On the opposite end of the scale I’m currently reading: “The Iron Druid Chronicles”series AND also “Empire of the Vampire” series. The first series is easy peasy, kind of a “Dresden Files” lite with a touch of Gaimen’s “American Gods”. The second, (vampire) series is unique and set in a well fleshed out, late medieval, made up world with very recognizable European equivalents. It’s so interesting. Apparently it’s based on a graphic novel set. Back to “difficult” books: I’m struggling with “The Master & His Emissary” . There’s so much information packed in there 🤦🏻♀️I’m having to knock the rust off some of my brain for this one. I’ll try some of your tips…THANKS! Be well!! Cheers🤘
Howdy, Greebo! Dresden Files x American Gods sounds like a fun read! I might need to check that out. The synopsis for The Master and his Emissary sounds interesting, but also sounds like one I'll need to schedule for when I have the mental capacity... As always, thanks for watching and commenting :)
When you mentioned Nicholas Tlaib I screamed. 😂 I listened to the entire audible version of Fooled by Randomness and Black Swan 6 years ago and retained NOTHING. (Edit: I remember something actually. He talked about living in a warzone in the past somewhere in the middle east and dealing with fear and trauma. I remember that.) It was so horrific to listen to dry, like you said. I didn't want to touch it ever again. I should have looked up secondary information about it.
While I agree that secondary sources can be a big help, the temptation is to get lazy. People do end up taking the commentaries/notes and never go back to the original sources. I do think that is lazy. If you can fight that tendency, then, yes, secondary sources can be useful.
In that case, I come back to the original question I pose at the beginning of the video: Why are you reading the book in the first place? If it's to answer a specific question, and you get the answer from the secondary sources, then why SHOULD you read the book? You got what you needed! It's not lazy, it's efficient. However, if you're reading it because you want to challenge yourself, and you read the secondary sources and don't go to the book, then you've kind of missed the entire point of the exercise. It's like saying, "I want to run a marathon," but instead of running the 26 miles, I take a taxi to the finish line. I mean, sure, you got to the finish line, but that wasn't the point. :)
thanks for the kind words! all is well, but we moved, so I lost my recording space. new job + new baby = no time to setup the new one yet. but I will be back! :)
My “new” comment disappeared..I wasn’t inappropriate and there were no links, weird. Anyway: I’m rewatching your videos. Hopefully you are well! Cheers!!
thanks Greebo. all is well. I started teaching a new class which is taking up a lot of time. plus we moved and I haven’t been able to set up a “studio” to record yet! hopefully will get back to it soon, though. hope all is well with you!
I've read Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums, but didn't finish On the Road. I've read José Saramago's All the Names (love love loved it!), but didn't finish Blindness. I've read DFW's Infinite Jest, every footnote of which was super yummy, but I chose to skim the novel's gaming & tennis passages. I've read most of Faulkner's short works, but didn't finish As I Lie Dying or Absalom, Absalom. I've read four of Pynchon's major novels, but when I hit the coprophagia section of Gravity's Rainbow, I stopped reading & didn't come back. I'm a huge Don DeLillo fan, but only read half of Underworld & Cosmopolis. =shrug= ______________________ Thanks for the great job, Adam, of breaking down the diffs between reading to learn stuff vs. reading to grow, primary vs. secondary sources ("When in doubt, go meta" is a credo of mine), superficial vs. deep reading. And for telling your listeners to give up their guilt. Guilt is nothing but poison. ______________________ Curious that you would ask, "What are some of the books that defeated you?" Because I would never frame the question that way. I don't think of life as analogous to battle. Books and writers can't defeat me, because reading is not combat. As T. S. Eliot says, ... what there is to conquer By strength and submission, has already been discovered Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope To emulate-but there is no competition- There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss. For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.
Fi, that's a beautiful quote from Eliot, and while I can intellectually agree with you that reading is not combat, I can also say without reservation that I certainly FELT defeated after reading Nietzsche. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the things we know, which is why I tell people not to feel guilty in videos like this one. I'm sure that everyone KNOWS deep down that it's silly to feel guilt over a piece of writing, but the reminder is still helpful from time to time (including to myself)! PS: Your line about Infinite Jest made me smile, because I keep telling people that the footnotes are the best part of the novel, whereas you're right that the tennis matches can actually be quite tedious.
Everything you said in this video was true and helpful. My goddaughter recently challenged me to read a daunting book. I chose "To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf. I've tried numerous times to read it to no avail. So I read about the author's life and how she used her life experiences to write it. Then I watched UA-cam videos specifically about this book and her odd writing style. It made all the difference and I finally finished it. Like you I still didn't get everything but another read thru might do the trick. Having said that, I may never be ready for War and Peace. Instead I went back to an old reliable. The latest C.J. Box novel. Lots of fun and educational in a different way. Sorry to ramble on, but great video again.
This is a fantastic example of exactly what I was describing! As for not reading War and Peace, that's okay, too. :) You shouldn't feel pressure to read something you don't want to, or feel bad because you don't want to read something that other people tell you that you should. At the end of the day, if you like CJ Box, read CJ Box! For every piece of "great literature" I read, I probably read 3 or 4 books just for fun.
Thanks for watching, Jeff!
I have to confess that, after 188 pages, The Brothers Karamazov defeated me. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you all of who was who, and what was going on. I feel so stupid. It's just WORDS! Sigh.
I usually don't give up on books. But for some reason, and despite reading the back of the book several times, I had missed the part about a love triangle/drama. I don't think they used the term, "love triangle." But the relationships aspect. If I had seen that, I never would have started. And if it did not have that, I would have kept pushing on to the end. Romance drama is just not my thing, especially if I am already struggling with other aspects of a book. Jane Eyre has "romance", and I had no problem with it. I love that book! But it was easier to understand in general (didn't have a large cast of characters) and the romance-y aspect wasn't THE focus of the story.
I feel so bad. And dumb. Maybe a different one of his works would be better for me.
There's no shame in declaring a book "not for you." That said, I think that if you'd carried on with the Brothers K, you would have seen that while the "love triangle," is kind of the inciting incident, it's not the main point of the novel. Regardless, there are many other novels in the sea. You don't have to read 'em all :)
@@ADudeWhoReads I'm also dealing with Real Life stuff, so I probably was not in the right headspace for it. I am open to trying again at some point.
@@Yesica1993 All the more reason to be kind to yourself! Hope things get better.
@@ADudeWhoReads Thanks!
Outstanding video, my friend! It took many years of reading comprehension research to converge on this finding-we understand best those things for which we already have prior knowledge. Yes, this seems simple, but think of how many times we’ve been in classes where readings were assigned, we did the readings, and were shocked at how little we remembered or how many important concepts we didn’t catch. Then we felt stupid because we simply didn’t have a cognitive framework established to “hang” all that new knowledge on.
My favorite subject exemplifying the importance of prior knowledge and quality instruction is stats. I took three grad courses in stats where the prof assign difficult stats books to read, didn’t have a class syllabus, and proceeded to simply ask the class if we had questions over the readings (most of us didn’t know enough about stats to ask coherent questions!)
I didn’t buy the stats book because after reading the first couple of chapters a couple of times I still couldn’t make sense of the concepts. Hell, I didn’t even know the Greek letters used for population parameters!
A grad committee member took pity on me and explained the concept of prior knowledge and ranted about the stupidity of how the stats courses at our university were taught. She gave me a simpler book-How to Reason with Statistics. She told me I simply didn’t have enough knowledge and experience with stats to make sense of the difficult readings. Wow!
The simpler book (written in plain English) proceeded with building the notion of what type of research questions could be asked; then based on those questions what types of data could be collected; finally, which type of statistical tools could be used to analyze specific data sets to report findings and conclusions.
I wouldn’t have gotten through these courses without that book. Nowadays, I could also go to the web to build my prior knowledge. And as you pointed out, this isn’t cheating, it’s what good learners do to develop cognitive frameworks for new information,
Contrast the systematic building of stats knowledge through easier readings with the class prof who put up a slide entitled “The Mathematical Assumptions of Analysis of Variance,” and then asked asked, “Any questions?”
Every strategy you presented in this video, Adam, has tons of research to support these strategies.
Now Dude, your assignment is to look up Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra on UA-cam and try to convince me that you never heard the introduction before!
Thanks, Mike, and thanks for that anecdote! I need to do a better job in my videos of explaining that most (if not all) of my tips are NOT original, but usually come from a basis in actual research. It's funny, when I teach, I do this all the time, but apparently the "Dude" persona doesn't like listing citations ;)
Also, I did my homework. That has to be one of the most commonly used pieces in modern movies! But I couldn't for the life of me remember WHICH movies used it, so I cheated and checked wikipedia, only to find that I haven't SEEN the majority of the movies that are known for using it... so I don't know HOW I know that introduction, but I definitely know it!
Adam, now I’m aghast! Your videos are wonderful the way they are! This was my area of study and you don’t need research citations, yuck! I just get VERY excited about talking about learning with you.
If I get up to Quebec, I want to take a course FROM YOU! You are a gifted teacher! Sending you a BIG BROHUG!! Mike
Hah. Well, if you're interested in auditing "Global Environment of Business" or "Marketing Analysis and Decision-Making", you're more than welcome in my classroom anytime ;)
@@ADudeWhoReads The use of Strauss's Sunrise theme from the tone poem titled "Also Sprach Zarathustra" in Kubrick's "2001:A Space Odyssey"' is the singular point of origin for all of its subsequent appearances in pop culture. And, as Georgie Borges might say, for any of its previous appearances as well. That is, its influence was so powerful, it spread backwards & forwards in time.
All the non-Kubrick occasions when you hear that music are referencing Kubrick.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave Bowman: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Trivia question: Why is the computer in "2001" named HAL? (Hint: note that all 3 letters of its name are capitalized.)
@@fiwebster9814 I came to that conclusion when I noticed that almost every use was "space" or "future" themed. That being said, I'm sure that's NOT where I first heard it... and that's the part that's bugging me... unless it's so ubiquitous that I just can't pinpoint the first place I heard it, and my mind is just tricking me into BELIEVING I'm thinking of a single instance... 🤷♂
As for the HAL trivia, I do know the answer to that (as well as the pop theory about where it came from that Clarke and Kubrick denied), so I'll just leave it unanswered for other viewers to challenge themselves with! :)
1.-saber para que lees el libro, Cuál es el objetivo?
2.-lectura superficial: entender cuál es el punto principal, cómo se ejecuta, cómo es el final, sin tomar apuntes. Cuando termines no tendrás los detalles pero si las bases cuál las cuales podrás seguir adelante.
3.-en tu segunda lectura del libro haz tu investigación acerca de los detalles de los que te perdiste la primera vez y esta vez no se arruinará el “flow” de la lectura pues ya sabes lo que se encuentra en el libro.
Recordatorio:
No hay nadie apurándote, tienes todo el tiempo para aprender y comprender el libro que estás leyendo.
I read Artemis and then The Martian after your recommendation of Project Hail Mary. I could see Weir stretching his character building muscles in Artemis, as you might have predicted. It's a good read, I enjoyed it, but for this reader's time, it's a distant third. For my money, Weir's at his best when he focuses on setting up a death trap and then finding a creative way to escape. I can't think of a single book where this is done to greater effect than in The Martian. There must be 8 or 10 distinct death traps crammed into those 400 some odd pages. I got hooked every time. It's funny, I know you weren't as thrilled by The Martian, but I would never have read it had it not been for your channel. Always appreciate hearing your recommendations, and criticisms, of books.
Happy that I was able to guide you to a book you enjoyed, even if it wasn't one of mine. That's why when I say I like or dislike something I try to explain "why" because my reason for disliking something, might be the very thing another reader loves about it.
Thank you for another brilliant video. I’m late (as usual). On the opposite end of the scale I’m currently reading: “The Iron Druid Chronicles”series AND also “Empire of the Vampire” series. The first series is easy peasy, kind of a “Dresden Files” lite with a touch of Gaimen’s “American Gods”. The second, (vampire) series is unique and set in a well fleshed out, late medieval, made up world with very recognizable European equivalents. It’s so interesting. Apparently it’s based on a graphic novel set.
Back to “difficult” books: I’m struggling with “The Master & His Emissary” . There’s so much information packed in there 🤦🏻♀️I’m having to knock the rust off some of my brain for this one. I’ll try some of your tips…THANKS! Be well!! Cheers🤘
Howdy, Greebo! Dresden Files x American Gods sounds like a fun read! I might need to check that out. The synopsis for The Master and his Emissary sounds interesting, but also sounds like one I'll need to schedule for when I have the mental capacity... As always, thanks for watching and commenting :)
Thank you!
When you mentioned Nicholas Tlaib I screamed. 😂 I listened to the entire audible version of Fooled by Randomness and Black Swan 6 years ago and retained NOTHING. (Edit: I remember something actually. He talked about living in a warzone in the past somewhere in the middle east and dealing with fear and trauma. I remember that.) It was so horrific to listen to dry, like you said. I didn't want to touch it ever again. I should have looked up secondary information about it.
There are some books that work great as audiobooks… these are not them. :)
While I agree that secondary sources can be a big help, the temptation is to get lazy. People do end up taking the commentaries/notes and never go back to the original sources. I do think that is lazy. If you can fight that tendency, then, yes, secondary sources can be useful.
In that case, I come back to the original question I pose at the beginning of the video: Why are you reading the book in the first place?
If it's to answer a specific question, and you get the answer from the secondary sources, then why SHOULD you read the book? You got what you needed! It's not lazy, it's efficient.
However, if you're reading it because you want to challenge yourself, and you read the secondary sources and don't go to the book, then you've kind of missed the entire point of the exercise. It's like saying, "I want to run a marathon," but instead of running the 26 miles, I take a taxi to the finish line. I mean, sure, you got to the finish line, but that wasn't the point. :)
@@ADudeWhoReads Good points, all.
Hey bro hope you're well and upload soon :)
thanks for the kind words! all is well, but we moved, so I lost my recording space. new job + new baby = no time to setup the new one yet. but I will be back! :)
@@ADudeWhoReads wow massive congrats on the baby! and hope the new job is going great.
@@A5A1A5 Thanks, man!
My “new” comment disappeared..I wasn’t inappropriate and there were no links, weird. Anyway: I’m rewatching your videos. Hopefully you are well! Cheers!!
thanks Greebo. all is well. I started teaching a new class which is taking up a lot of time. plus we moved and I haven’t been able to set up a “studio” to record yet! hopefully will get back to it soon, though. hope all is well with you!
I've read Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums, but didn't finish On the Road.
I've read José Saramago's All the Names (love love loved it!), but didn't finish Blindness.
I've read DFW's Infinite Jest, every footnote of which was super yummy, but I chose to skim the novel's gaming & tennis passages.
I've read most of Faulkner's short works, but didn't finish As I Lie Dying or Absalom, Absalom.
I've read four of Pynchon's major novels, but when I hit the coprophagia section of Gravity's Rainbow, I stopped reading & didn't come back.
I'm a huge Don DeLillo fan, but only read half of Underworld & Cosmopolis.
=shrug=
______________________
Thanks for the great job, Adam, of breaking down the diffs between reading to learn stuff vs. reading to grow, primary vs. secondary sources ("When in doubt, go meta" is a credo of mine), superficial vs. deep reading. And for telling your listeners to give up their guilt. Guilt is nothing but poison.
______________________
Curious that you would ask, "What are some of the books that defeated you?" Because I would never frame the question that way. I don't think of life as analogous to battle. Books and writers can't defeat me, because reading is not combat.
As T. S. Eliot says,
... what there is to conquer
By strength and submission, has already been discovered
Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope
To emulate-but there is no competition-
There is only the fight to recover what has been lost
And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions
That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss.
For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.
Fi, that's a beautiful quote from Eliot, and while I can intellectually agree with you that reading is not combat, I can also say without reservation that I certainly FELT defeated after reading Nietzsche. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the things we know, which is why I tell people not to feel guilty in videos like this one. I'm sure that everyone KNOWS deep down that it's silly to feel guilt over a piece of writing, but the reminder is still helpful from time to time (including to myself)!
PS: Your line about Infinite Jest made me smile, because I keep telling people that the footnotes are the best part of the novel, whereas you're right that the tennis matches can actually be quite tedious.