If you want to retain what you read, write a one-paragraph summary of the book. I’m going easy on you here – one paragraph is nothing. I would prefer you write an entire essay arguing the main points of the book, examining what you agree and disagree with, and then connecting those ideas to other books you love. But this isn’t school, and I’m not your English teacher. I know, bummer.
So, let’s shoot for a simple paragraph. You can do this in your kitchen while you’re eating lunch. Grab one of those notepads you keep for jotting down grocery lists and see if you can summarize the book you’ve just read. Ask yourself WHAT the main ideas were, and WHY they matter. If you can tackle that relationship (What / Why), you’ll do well here.
We think we understand something until we have to write about it. Then, confronted with our muddy thoughts, we have to work to make them sensible on paper. That’s why most people despise writing essays. It’s uncomfortable to realize you don’t understand something as well as you thought. And that’s exactly why I love them. I’m tired of my own half-baked theories, muddy ideas, and gut feelings. I want to clarify my thinking and remember what I read.
That’s why this works. Let’s turn your general feelings or ideas about a book into something concrete, even if it’s only a paragraph on a sticky pad. For the few who try this, your reading comprehension will go through the roof.
Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
-Eddy
