Asking the Right Questions

In1940 a man by the name of Mortimer J. Adler published a book called, wait for it….

How to Read a Book

As Mortimer puts it, your job as the reader is to strive for equality with the writer, who presumably knows more about the subject matter than you do.

He proposes asking 4 questions while reading in order to do this more effectively:

1. What is the book about as a whole?
2. What is being said in detail?
3. Is the book true in whole or part?
4. What of it?

In other words you’re trying to determine what the central theme of the book is, how the author is supporting his or her argument, whether or not you agree with the what is being said, and figure out why the book is important.

In short, Mortimer’s argument is that you have to fundamentally change the way you look at reading.

A good reader is a demanding reader. One who has his or her highlighter in hand and ready to strike.

Know What You're Looking for in a Book

The table of contents is more than just a list of title chapters.

It’s a map.

The table of contents is a guide designed to prepare you for the unchartered land you’re about to enter.

Let’s take a book by Greg McKeown called, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less as an example. (a terrific book by the way)

If I open up to the table of contents, I discover the second chapter is titled,CHOOSE: The Invincible Power of Choice.

Now, some titles are going to provide more clues than others, but I can glean from this heading the author may discuss how decision-making is a powerful tool.

By having a sense of what the chapter is about, even broadly, I’ve armed myself for greater inspection. I now have an idea of what I’m looking for.

This can be a very effective way of reading because just as facts can serve us in better understanding a topic, they can also inhibit our comprehension.

The truth is, not everything is important. Some ideas matter more than others. Not all books need to be read from cover to cover. Many manuscripts will take one idea and spend the next 200 pages harping on it with no original or distinctive insights. If you’ve already found what you’re looking for, sometimes it’s a better use of your time to move on before finishing the book.

Knowing what you’re looking for is the first step.

The Reason You Don't Know How to Read

Don’t gloss over the title or table of contents

Before picking up a book, it may help to think of yourself as a detective. Remember, reading is active. It’s a craft.

And being passive about reading is no different than being passive in any endeavor; its rewards are never reaped, the full experience never realized.

Your job as a reader actually begins the moment you pick up a book.

First, ask yourself what the title communicates.

You’d be surprised to discover the number people who can’t remember the title of a book they’ve devoted substantial amounts of their time and resources to reading.

It’s because most people don’t believe it matters.

It does.

The title can be a very helpful indication of the world you’re about to enter. Even the art work on the book’s cover shouldn’t be overlooked.

When I taught a group of 8th graders J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Fellowship of the Ring we spent nearly 10 minutes on the image alone.

Not only did the students come up with predictions the story would entail scenes of adventure and peril, but it also stirred up a sense of excitement.

And rousing some enthusiasm before reading is not insignificant. It makes reading more fun, and a result more engaging.

Pass on Your Passion

Last night, I accompanied a close friend to a dinner being held in her honor. The host was a kind, thoughtful, and very accomplished physician but I spent much of the evening speaking with her husband, a retired architect. 

He knew a lot about a lot, particularly on the topics of art, literature, and cooking. He was like a schoolboy as he elegantly danced between each topic. What inspired me most was his fierce love of creativity. "You HAVE to have passion," he told me.

He was tireless when speaking about architecture, food, and paintings and made me realize if you really love something you must do so completely and without apology. He protected and nourished his passion and in doing inspired me to do the same. 

It doesn't matter how old you are. What matters is finding something you enjoy and constantly building upon it.

Read Widely

By most accounts, I was a pretty good kid growing up. I never had much interest in getting into trouble, sparing my parents a headache or two.

This is not to say I was the perfect son by any stretch. One source of great anxiety for my mom and dad was my refusal to sit still and finish a book. I'd never seen my father come so close to weeping as he tried everything short of a seance to get me to fall in love with literature.

It took some time, but their efforts paid off. Books have become something I can't live without. They also played a very important role in making me a better actor.

By reading widely I was able to consider perspectives wildly different from my own. When taking on new projects, I began to think as a playwright, director, or producer might. Characters now leaped from the page becoming three-dimensional.

Discovering more about science, history, philosophy, and current events enabled me to connect a heightened sense of humanity to the plays and scripts I read. I began to rely less on just my technical training as an actor and get more in touch with what it really meant to be human.

Books pushed, stretched, and nudged me to think bigger.

They've served me well in my pursuit to become a great storyteller and beyond.