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Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books

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In full disclosure, I was really excited when I first heard about Lit!. The idea is genius--writing a book about reading books. It made me stop and think about reading, a crucial part of life that I had done for years but hadn't considered with much intention or precision. (That specific point may say something more about me than the genius of the book idea.) So I ventured into the book with eyes wide open, optimistic about finding something of value in light of the amount of material I read in a vain attempt toward keeping up with the evangelical and Reformed worlds. I did find value, more than I even expected, and I found it through a very rare combination of encouragement, creativity, depth, theological penetration, and even accessibility.

The obvious surface answer to "What does reading books have to do with your Christian walk?" involves the fact that the Bible is a book (and we know as Christians that we should always read it), coupled with a suggestion to read books and material that encourage, challenge, and teach us about what we read in Scripture. That answer is true as far as it goes, but Reinke wants to back up and get a bit more basic, a bit more biblical-theological, and even a bit more philosophical at points (without needing to import all the philosophical jargon).

What does it mean that God himself physically wrote the words of the Ten Commandments - and did so in human language that was meant to be read? Part One (of two) begins by asking this question, among others, and seeks to get at some of what Scripture says about speech, language, words, and books. Reinke does well in fleshing out how our Word-centered religion is in direct contrast to Ancient Near Eastern religions and their focus on image-based, iconic idols. Contrary to these neighboring image-based religions, God's people are a people of books, text, and words, and that has implications for not only what we learn about God and his world but also how we learn it.

Reinke even manages to connect these basic questions to one of the most biblically basic categories--eschatology (classically defined as the study of the last things). He points out:

Words are a more precise way of communicating the meaning behind the images of our world...What is real extends far deeper than what we can see. Our holy God is real...Our Savior is real. Heaven is real. Angels are real. But for now these realities are invisible. (p. 45)
If this sounds familiar, it should; the author of Hebrews comments on this visible/invisible reality as well (Cf. vv.11:1-2):

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

So if, by definition, we cannot rely on images to communicate the invisible realities, what can we rely on? Words. The Word.

Reinke is careful to make the above distinctions while also affirming appropriate value in non-Christian books. The task of the Christian is not to reject every piece of literature that is non-Christian in its worldview. But as discerning Christian readers we recognize non-Christian worldviews for what they are and try to glean the borrowed capital from those works. I love the quote from Camus that Reinke provides: "A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images" (p. 59). Novels have the unique advantage of portraying an author's worldview not only through facts and information, but also through his or her storytelling.

Part Two of Lit! takes this theological framework and puts principle into practice. If you wondered whether this book will help you structure your reading, prioritize your reading, and help you sort and think through various forms of reading, here's where you'll get more than your money's worth. Reinke literally gives you numbered steps to help you not only accomplish your reading goals but also enjoy the process of reading that makes that happen.

Many of us intuitively know that there are thousands of books out there related to whatever we are currently reading. Reinke observes, "For every one book that you choose to read, you must ignore ten thousand other books simply because you don't have the time (or money!)." (p. 94) So he provides some suggestions on how to filter through the sea of books, and much of the practical advice has to do with goals, with priority in topics and subjects, and with other factors that we may not be as intentional about as we thought.

But words aren't limited to books, and neither is the choice of media Reinke addresses. You are reading this current book review online, not in a book, from which you probably saw a link in an email, on a blog, a Facebook post, or from an embarrassingly-termed "tweet." The world of reading is changing because of social media and gadgets like Kindles and iPads, and that genie isn't going back in the bottle. If those different forms of media are here to stay, how will that affect what we read and how we read? Not surprisingly, Reinke provides some helpful ways to think about those questions.

In one of my favorite sections, the section on marginalia, he tackles the age-old question: Should I or shouldn't I highlight, write in the margins, and mark up a book that I own? (Spoiler alert: he believes marking a book is very helpful and defends his pro-graffiti view very well.)

Reinke also makes some astute observations related to the previously mentioned media changes in our evolving reading culture.

Traditionally, a reader selected one book and sat alone in a reading chair. When great ideas were encountered, the reader internalized those ideas and reflected on them...Now, when we come across an idea that we like, we are tempted to quickly react, to share the idea with friends in an e-mail, on Facebook, or on a blog." (p. 142)
We've all but eliminated the step of pondering what we've read and have gone straight to the step of immediately sharing it. It may be a subtle difference in individual cases, but it can accumulate into a structural and substantial difference over a long reading timeline.

Reinke points out that with the deluge of information that tools like Google provide, we have targeted our memory skills not to remember specific content as much as we seek to remember reminders that will then give us access to that specific content. In Reinke's characteristically perceptive way, he notices that "If we are honest, we admit that we don't write things down to remember them; usually we write things down to forget them." (p. 139) Once we've written them down, we only need to remember the reminder. This can also seem inconsequential at first, but in the end may prove to contribute to a stack of reminders in our heads rather than to a process of remembering helpful, specific content that can then be strategically recalled.

There are so many other great sections, sub-sections, and details from this book that I could mention: the art of imagination and how it's exemplified in Revelation, the importance of non-fiction, practical advice on time management, distraction management, the importance placed on both pastors and on parents to raise Christian readers, reading in community, and other helpful topics that he managed effectively to squeeze within 200 pages. I'd love to go on to remark how Reinke demonstrates his competency in the broader subject as well as in what he puts forth both in theory and in practice. You hear about his own methods, his own struggles, and his personal background that serves to illustrate his points when appropriate. If the idea of the book is genius, it is clear that it started not in the abstract, but with Reinke's capability and unique position as an intentional reader who integrates his theological competency, his love of the Word and of words, and his humility throughout Lit! to provide us a must read for an intentional library.

I came to faith in Christ while in high school, and ever since then I have been a lover of the Book, i.e., the Bible. It didn't take me long, though to fall in love with books in general--all kinds. I started off with Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Not Even A Hint (which since then has been retitled, Sex Is Not the Problem, Lust Is). I later moved on to John MacArthur's The Gospel According to the Apostles and came to grips with what the gospel was (and was not). During my college years I came across J. C. Ryle's Holiness, which for me opened whole new vistas on the nature of sanctification in the believer's life.

But I didn't simply read Christian books. I quickly began devouring stories like The Chronicles of Narnia (okay, you can quibble about that one) and Harry Potter and Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. For two years, almost every Saturday morning with a cup of coffee, I worked my way through David McCullough's wonderful retelling of President John Adams. I could endlessly go on and share how different books have come into my life and have helped me think better and see the world differently.

But I will say this, in many ways we are what we read. Though not always perceived, books make certain indelible impressions upon the reader. We will not always be aware of the mark they are making, but unquestionably books are molding us and refining us, allowing us to expand our thinking, to venture into worlds unknown and times not our own.

While there is a shift now taking place with the emergence of the e-book, I believe books--actual printed works with covers in-between--will continue to have an integral role in our society, not least in the presentation and exchange of ideas, and in the simple yet beautiful act of painting with words as stories unfold and worlds are created and history is retold and leaders are formed. All this is but a foretaste of the power of books.

I say all that to simply set the stage for why I so enjoyed reading Tony Reinke's new book, Lit!: A Christian Guide To Reading Books. I think Leland Ryken's blurb got it right:

"Reinke writes with an infectious and winsome enthusiasm. It is hard to imagine a reader of this book who would not catch the spark for reading after encountering Reinke's excitement about reading and his carefully reasoned defense of it."

I picked up the book today and could not put it down. As a lover of books, to say I enjoyed it is an understatement. I was instructed and challenged all throughout. Rather than giving a thorough review of it, I'll just provide some of the quotes that resonated with me or simply made a point very well.

Here they are. Enjoy.

*********

"The concern is whether Christians ... will be patient enough to find meaning embedded in words, or if we will grow content with the superficial pleasures offered to us in the rapidly shifting images in our culture.... [A]s a word-centered people we must learn to prize language in a visually-dominated world. If our hearts prioritize images over language, our hunger for books will erode."

"We do not yet live in the age of the eye; we live in the age of the ear, we live in the age of revelation and promises and books.... For now we sing, 'Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight.' "

"The difficult work required to benefit from books is at odds with the immediate appeal of images. As Christians living in an image-saturated world, we must guard our conviction about the vital importance of words and language. For it is words and language that best communicate meaning."

"Revealed truth does not answer all the questions in life, but it does provide a framework for understanding everything else."

"Christians can read a broad array of books for our personal benefit, but only if we read with discernment. And we will only read with discernment if the biblical convictions are firmly settled in our minds and hearts. Once they are, we have a touchstone to determine what is pure gold and what is worthless."

"God is the source of all beauty, and beautiful literature written by non-Christians is a gift from the Giver. And it's a gift to he enjoyed."

"Mature readers know when to read quickly and when to read slowly.... Each book has its own terrain.... The perceptive reader can read the terrain and shift gears in response."

"We get one chance at this life. We have one body, one mind, and one life to live. Reading provides us with a vicarious experience of others' lives."

"Reading literature is about absorption, about being lost in a story, and about delighting in the beautiful prose of a gifted writer."

"Reading is a discipline, and all disciplines require self-discipline, and self-discipline is the one thing our sinful flesh will resist."

"Book reading is not just a matter of time management; it's a matter of warfare."

"[W]e like distraction. We want distraction. Distraction is how we stay busy enough to avoid the self-discipline require to read books."

"I am quick to Tweet and slow to think. I am quick to Google and slow to ponder."

"Childlike faith in the gospel is an unsinkable buoy when we find ourselves drowning in the details of a books that is over our head."

"In the good news of Jesus Christ, overwhelmed readers find peace, and joy, and the courage to keep reading.... We grab a new book and we press on, not as slaves bound to a chore, but as liberated sinners who read to delight in the gifts of our God. We press on, reading and thanking God for the light we do see in books, and for his illuminating grace that lights our way."

In the end, Reinke makes the point a great chapter that mature readers...

1) prize wisdom;

2) cherish old books;

3) keep literature in its place;

4) avoid making books into idols; and

5) cling to the Savior.

******

If you already are a reader or would simply like to begin building the experience of reading in your life, then this is a book for you. Tolle lege.

Reinke, Tony. Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011, 208pp, pb.*

What does Mt. Sinai have to do with me becoming a better reading?

According to Tony Reinke: everything.

In this fascinating book, Tony Reinke weds theology and praxis concerning the reading of books, both Biblical and non-Biblical.

So why begin a book on reading with the story of Mt. Sinai? Because on Mt. Sinai, "an author wrote something so earth-shaking that the publishing industry has never recovered. It never will...The day God ran his fingertip over the stone tablets was the day that he forever shaped the world of book publishing" (23, 25). Here in the first chapter, "Paper Pulp and Etched Granite," Tony takes the well-known story in Exodus and demonstrates why this Biblical story has the most important implication concerning the reading of books: from the day of Mt. Sinai until the end of this age, all books are divided into two genres, Genre A: The Bible and Genre B: All other books.

This truth orients us to the rest of Reinke's book on reading well.

The book is divided into two main sections, one on the theology of reading and the other on the practice of reading, full of hints, tips, and recommended practices to make one a better reader.

In chapter 2, Reinke briefly sketches the Biblical story of sin and grace and the power of regeneration to give us a new heart and the mind of Christ. Looking to his own story of how the Lord saved him, Reinke calls how this new heart and mind has forever changed the way he sees Christ and reads, especially the Scriptures.

In chapter 3, Reinke addresses the reality that we live in such an image-saturated world that in most cases, the visual trumps the literary. But Reinke lays out several compelling reasons why words interpret, explain, and capture what images cannot. It's not that images do not have their place. They do. They just cannot do what words can. To attempt to resort to images for everything proves to be reductionistic.

In chapter 4, Reinke sketches the Biblical worldview, Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation, and how this worldview shapes and informs our reading habits. He concludes with a few tips on which books to avoid, such as ones that glorify evil.

I really enjoyed what Tony said in chapter 5 on seven benefits of reading non-Christian books. I think all Christian readers will be immensely helped by this chapter, especially because it can be tempting to reject all non-Christian books because they are just that: non-Christian. But Reinke compellingly demonstrates that we can benefit greatly from the works of non-Christians. To reject these literary gifts is to reject the Giver, God, as Reinke quotes from Calvin's Institutes.

In chapter 6, Reinke briefly makes a case for the Christian appropriation of imagination when it comes to literature and has a couple of great reminders concerning the implications of the imagination for our lives from what we see in the Book of Revelation.

In part two, Reinke, having laid the theological foundations of reading well, turns to the practical aspect of how we actually do it. This is where I think readers will be greatly helped because this section is full of great tips and hints.

In order to whet the reader's appetite for reading this book, I will briefly sketch the tips Reinke provides:

Setting reading priorities (chapter 7)
20 tips and tricks for reading non-Christian books (chapter 8)
The benefits of reading literature (chapter 9)
Protecting/finding time to read (chapter 10)
Overcoming distraction (chapter 11)
Marking up your books with pens and highlighters (chapter 12)
Building a reading community (chapter 13)
Instilling the love of reading in your children (chapter 14)
Marks of a healthy reader (chapter 15)
I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for those who struggle with reading. This book is incredibly readable and unassuming for the uninitiated, and the chapters are short enough for those who read little.

Tolle Lege!

*Review copy provided by Crossway Books

The purpose of this book is to encourage non-reading Christians to read and to educate them on how to choose good books and to enjoy what they read.

Part one is the theology of books and reading. I have to admit that this really bored me. I LOVE to read and I just couldn't get into it. Once I moved on to Part two - Some Practical Advice On Book Reading - it became easier reading and the advice presented was thought provoking.

Some of the subjects that he hits on are how to find time to read, what books to chose and why, how to raise your children to be good readers and what the marks of a healthy reader are.

I enjoyed the second half of the book and gained some insight into reading from a Christian perspective. But I doubt that a non-reader is going to pick up this book if they don't enjoy reading. Nor do I think they would enjoy it, if they did chose to pick it up. But it's a great book if you are a Christian reader.

I received this book free of charge from Crossways in exchange for my honest review.

Tony Reinke thinks reading is important. For Christians, it is especially important. Since God communicated to us through his word, we need to treasure that gift. Says Reinke, "[T]he difficult work required to benefit from books is at odds with the immediate appeal of images. As Christians living in an image-saturated world, we must guard our conviction about the vital importance of words and language. For it is words and language that best communicate meaning.

This book was written for:

People who love to read
People who hate to read
People who don't have time to read
People who only read Christian books
People who are overwhelmed by either the act of reading or the vast selection of books available

While that certainly is a broad swath of people, he maintains we all face the same challenges: trying to find the time and space to read in a world that is noisily clamoring for our attention.

The book begins by explaining to us (or reminding us at least) why reading is important. Reinke then explains why reading from a Christian worldview is essential, taking care to explain seven critical truths found in Scripture that should inform all our reading (and life). I most appreciated his discussion on the benefits and potential pitfalls of reading non-Christian literature (including novels).

The second section contained practical advice about reading: how to choose books, how to approach a book, how to find time to read, how to mark in your books, and how to encourage others to read. I consider myself a pretty determined reader (and unapologetic annotator), but I picked up some useful tips in these chapters as well.

Avid readers will encounter a lot of information they already knew, but reading about Reinke's reading habits will spur some new strategies and ideas. Avid readers are also the ones who will find this book the most interesting.

But this book has something for everyone. Anyone who thinks they could or should be reading more (and isn't that nearly all of us?) will find this book helpful.

This book is one that Christian conservatives will appreciate and that Christian moderates might wrinkle their noses at. The book is sincere and worthy and particularly well researched and probably effective at getting across its points to the audience it addresses, but it would be advisable for a potential reader to know the extent to which you're part of that intended audience.

I came to this book with considerable enthusiasm, but it disappeared in the first six chapters on theology and increased a little in the last nine on reading. If you are a Christian who has long been comfortable with nearly all types of secular reading, you may be a bit of an outsider for this book and may simply get restless with the first six chapters. If you are a Christian who can surrender to and "receive" books, as C.S. Lewis advocates in An Experiment in Criticism, then you may already be quite favorably disposed toward literature. There are, to be sure, many Christians like that, lifelong, wide-ranging readers for whom a book advocating reading or branching out in reading, would misfire as much as a book advocating breathing or thinking. You may even feel that the occasional preachy tone may seem actually to run down the culture the book is trying to get you to embrace: "Truth discovered in non-Christian literature may glow brightly in our eyes, but for authors not washed in Christ's blood, these truths bear a heavier guilt upon their souls before God and reveal their damnable lack of obedience and lack of gratitude to God (Rom. 1:21)." This comes from a chapter on the "benefits of reading non-Christian books," but it's hardly an endorsement to make one dive eagerly into Hemingway.

I know someone who (literally) will not read a book unless her minister has first told her the book is morally okay. The intended audience for this book would probably share those morally mixed feelings toward reading, primarily because of the notion that the books outside the walls of Christian bookstores teem with all the viruses of society's many sins and that to read is to risk moral infection. The Christian moderates I know would simply shrug at this and say, "If they do, so what? We've got our faith as a virus protection. Bring some culture into your life! God's truth and His Spirit are stronger than falsehood." The Christian conservatives I know would reply, "Haven't you ever underestimated the insidiousness of evil or been desensitized by something like the violence in popular culture? You can't be too careful." Both groups hit on truths. This book will appeal to conservatives, as it seems meant to, like the person I mention above who clears her booklist with her pastor. Though I don't do that, I can see the wrong of not respecting the humility and hunger behind this person's morality of reading while I also regret that her reading life is vulnerable to any minister she may have insensitive to the riches of literary culture. We really need some bridge-building book to get the conservatives and the moderates to see that ultimately they may have more uniting them than dividing them.

This is a great book written for Christians on the topic of reading literature. It's not some sort of CliffsNotes for the Left Behind series, nor is it a tract that condemns books written by non-Christian authors, or those that contain sex and violence. Instead, the author argues why Christians ought to be reading people, people who read fiction and non-fiction, of both Christian and secular varieties.

Even though the point of the book is to convince non-reading Christians to care about reading, this is not just a book for non-readers, as the foreword sort of suggests. If you are a Christian who already loves to read, you will find a kindred spirit in Tony Reinke.

The first half is a theology of reading books. In this section, Reinke addresses relevant topics including the significance of God's providential decision to reveal himself in a book, the relationship between regeneration and reading, the difference between print and visual media, what it means to read from a Christian worldview and how to do it, what Christians gain from reading non-Christian books, and the role of imagination in the pursuit of godliness.

The second half is practical in nature, suggesting strategies for distinguishing what to read from what not to read, as well as strategies for reading well.

What I appreciate most about this book is the colorful chorus of voices invited to weigh in on the topic of reading. You'll find quotes from important Christians in church history including Spurgeon, John Owen, David Wells and John Piper, literary giants like O'Connor, Eliot, Dostoevsky, Camus and Donne, as well as brilliant secular thinkers like Neil Postman and Harold Bloom. This is only a small sampling. Reinke is a humble man who doesn't need to brag about his own prolific reading; his bibliography speaks for itself. And he makes wonderful recommendations for what to read next. My Amazon wish-list grew significantly with each page-turn.

I would definitely recommend this one to my Christian brothers and sisters, particularly those who are in the unique position of instructing Christian young people. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book could potentially be life-changing for the Christian young person who feels unwilling or unable to make reading a priority in his life.

Reading is one of God's most valuable gifts. Unfortunately many people don't take advantage of it. In this book Tony Reinke tries to tell non-readers how to do it without making them feel guilty. The book has excellent ideas: make a plan for what you read, read while you're waiting for appointments, and most important read with your children.

One of my favorite sections dealt with the selection of books for children. Choose books that are appropriate for their age and that can help them understand the Christian world. However, and this advice I liked best, if the book is one that you don't think they're ready to handle on their own, read it with them. I know many parents weren't happy about the Harry Potter series. Trying to keep your kids from reading a book that has that much hype is like trying to keep them from eating candy. However, if you read it with them, you can answer their questions and discuss points that you don't agree with. Great advice.

I particularly liked the way the author added quotations from theological books and books on Christian living. I found his quotes on point and they made the text more interesting.

This was a fascinating read for someone like me who reads books all the time, but I wonder if it will be used by non-readers and readers who feel uncomfortable tackling hard books, like the classics. Here the author's advice comes in handy. Give books as gifts. Give this book as a gift. Read with others. Read this book in a group. Reading is so important, I hope lots of people take Reinke's advice to heart.

I reviewed the book as part of the Crossway review porgram.

I love books. I love literature. I'm really grateful for the way the Lord has used books in my own life, and I'm really confident that those who deal in words, people who preach and teach, have much to gain from the best put thoughts of the clearest thinkers the world has known. Add to these realities my deep appreciation for Tony Reinke, and it's not hard to guess that I'm pre-disposed to be really excited about his new book, Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books.

Predisposed to like it, and having read it, I'm thrilled to commend it. Walt Harrington says this about the reading habits of George W. Bush:

"I was struck by his many references to history. In the back of my mind was an article that Karl Rove had written for The Wall Street Journal in 2008, which revealed (much to the consternation of the president's derisive critics) that Bush had read 186 books for pleasure in the preceding three years, consisting mostly of serious historical nonfiction."

"He also invited me to his house, where I found books by John Fowles, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Gore Vidal lying about, as well as biographies of Willa Cather and Queen Victoria. A few years later, I might even have thought they had been purposely left there for the eyes of a reporter, but not on that unstaged evening. Laura would eventually write that even then, George read every night in bed."

"I also found an open Bible in the house. "I've read it cover to cover, and it wouldn't hurt you, Walt, to do the same," Bush said, laughing. Within the last year, W. had begun a new lifetime regimen of daily Bible readings, as I and all of America would later learn."""He certainly enjoys reading and talking about books. And his friends know it. On his desk is a stack of books that have come as gifts: All Things Are Possible Through Prayer;Basho: The Complete Haiku;Children of Jihad; and Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children. To the pile, I add my own gift, Cleopatra by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff. Right now, Bush is reading Ron Chernow's Washington: A Life, a biography of the first president. "Chernow's a great historian," Bush says excitedly. "I think one of the great history books I read was on Alexander Hamilton by Chernow. But I also read House of Morgan,Titan, and now I'm reading Washington.""

"He mentions David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter, a book about the Korean War that he read before a visit last year to Korea, to give a speech to evangelicals. "I stand up in front of 65,000 Christians to give a speech in South Korea ... ," he says, "and I'm thinking about the bloody [battles] fought in the Korean War." Halberstam's book--coupled with earlier readings of David McCullough's Truman and Robert Beisner's Dean Acheson, a biography of Truman's secretary of state presented to him by Bush's own secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice--gave the event deeper resonance. The decisions of the unpopular President Harry S Truman, he realized, made it possible for a former U.'S. president to speak before freely worshipping Koreans 60 years later. "So history, in this case, gave me a better understanding of the moment, and ... put it all into context--the wonder of the moment.""

"I tick off a partial list of people Bush has read books about in recent years in addition to Washington, Truman, and Acheson: Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, Mark Twain, Huey Long, Lyndon Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Mellon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ulysses S. Grant, John Quincy Adams, Genghis Khan."

""Genghis Khan?" I ask incredulously."

""I didn't know much about him. I was fascinated by him. I guess I've always been fascinated by larger-than-life figures. That's why I'm looking forward to reading Cleopatra. I know nothing about her. ... But you can sit there and be absorbed by TV, let the news of the moment consume you. You can just do nothing. I choose to read as a form of relaxation. ... Laura used to say, `Reading is taking a journey,' and she's right.""

"He remembers Richard Carwardine's Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power (one of 14 Lincoln biographies Bush read while he was president), . . ."

And this is just a sampling. There's more about the reading Bush has done. Fascinating. Inspiring.

Do you want to read more?

Tony can tell you how to get it done. You won't regret learning from him, and you won't regret getting this book.

Lit opens with an explanation that it's purpose is to convince people that do not like to read, why they should read. So as someone that reads close to 150 books a year obviously I am not the intended audience. But I did find much to like in this book. The parts I liked most were the casual reading advice sections. I did not agree with a number of the pieces of advice. Tony Reinke is consciously attempting to write a Christian version of the classic Mortimer Adler's How To Read a Book. There were many places where I thought, "Why would you encourage people to do that?". For instance he encouraged people to spend about a hour going over a book before you start reading it, looking through the table of contents, writing up questions that you want answered in the book, reading the last couple pages, looking over reviews before you start. I think some of these ideas are good, but is this the way to encourage people to read? These are things you should be doing before you pick (and buy) a book.

My larger concern is with the structure of the book. Reinke starts with almost a full quarter of the book discussing scripture and how we need to keep scripture as our prime reading material, how scripture is different than other books and a discussion of truth and how we can only understand truth in other books once we understand the truth of scripture. I understand why he has this long discussion. It is important to his theology of reading, which is the basis for why the entire book is written. But if the intended audience really are reluctant readers, they are never going to get through that section to the advice sections on how and why they should be reading.

But after this section, Reinke has a passionate defense of why we should be reading books other than scripture, why we should read non-Christian authors (although with discernment) and without these words, a defense of the doctrine of General Revelation. I think this is probably the most important section of the book. Reinke is going against the stream in this section, although theologically quite correct.

He summarizes these thoughts in this fairly long quote, initially it is quoting John Calvin:

"Therefore, in reading profane authors, the admirable light of truth displayed in them should remind us that the human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator. If we reflect that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we will be careful, as we would avoid offering insult to him, not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears. In despising the gifts, we insult the Giver." Calvin is saying that if we despise truth in non-Christian books, we ultimately "insult the Giver." At first those words jarred me, but I've come to see Calvin's point. God is behind all truth, even the truth that is expressed in non-Christian literature. Truth cannot be fabricated, writes Calvin. All truth is from God; and consequently, if wicked men have said anything that is true and just, we ought not to reject it; for it has come from God. Besides, all things are of God; and, therefore, why should it not be lawful to dedicate to his glory everything that can properly be employed for such a purpose?

Many of the advice sections are good. He looks at the number of books and with some rough calculations says that for every book you choose to read, you are rejecting 10,000. So pick your books well and do not waste your time. I think this can be a bit too intimidating for some, but the reality is worth thinkings about. Although for most people there are about 9000 of those books that you have no interest in reading.

He also gives permission to stop reading. He suggests the old, 100 minus your age formula (if you are 30, then you should read 70 pages before giving up on a book.) While I think that is a nice formula and it does give permission to quit, there have been three books in the last month, that if I had given up I would have missed the value of the book because the author had hidden all of the good parts at the end. There are probably more books that I should have given up. So we should allow ourselves to stop reading.

There is also some very good advice on how to encourage your children to be readers. My only quibble with the advice for children, is that he suggests that we should go ahead and teach our children to read early, before they start school. Some children just are not ready to read early, and pushing them may do more harm than good. Also there is some evidence that early readers, although they tend to be fast readers as adults, actually have lower overall comprehension than those that learn to read later. This is a debated point, but I think might be reason to think about holding off on teaching children to read early.

I think that there is an unfortunate timing issue with Lit. If I had not just finished reading Jacobs' The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, I probably would have enjoyed it more. But Reinke is advocating for precisely the opposite idea from Jacobs'. Jacobs says we should read what we want, not worry so much about doing it precisely right. I think both books have much to commend them; and very different purposes. But if I you are going to read just one, read Jacobs, it is a much more freeing approach to reading. If you already have read Jacobs, go ahead and pick this up.