Review by Choice Review
Bauer's latest book, updating the 2003 edition, outlines a framework for approaching the so-called "Great Books," whether by Shakespeare, Cervantes, or Stephen Hawking. Encouragingly, Bauer believes "application, not genius" is required to learn the skills needed to read, interpret, and engage fully with these works. After defining a classical education, Bauer provides chapters on training to read, the act of reading, and the importance of keeping a journal or "commonplace book" of notes. After establishing these mechanics, Bauer devotes the book's second half to discussing the key texts (mostly Western) under categories including novels, autobiography, history, drama, poetry, and science that she believes serve as cornerstones of human experience. Each chapter begins with an overview of the genre and important shifts in theory, history, or politics within the disciplines that approach the form. Bauer provides, for example, "A Fifteen-Minute History of History," which clearly and efficiently encapsulates the major approaches and developments in the study of history of which readers should be aware. Page-length annotations of recommended texts include Bauer's suggestions for the cheapest, most widely available, or best translations and editions of each work. Bauer--coauthor with Jessie Wise of several editions of The Well-Trained Mind (CH, Jan'00, 37-2909), which is aimed at homeschoolers--uses highly accessible language and is a knowledgeable guide for emerging students or autodidacts seeking to continue their journey of self-education. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Ryan M. Roberts, Lincoln Land Community College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bauer's The Well-Trained Mind (which she co-wrote with Jessie Wise) taught parents how to educate kids; her latest is designed for adults seeking self-education in the classical tradition. Reading-sustained, disciplined and structured-is her core methodology, so she starts with tips on improving reading skills and setting up a reading schedule (start with half-hour sessions four mornings a week, with daily journal writing). Reading is a discipline, like meditating or running, she says, and it needs regular exercise. To grow through reading-to reach the "Great Conversation" of ideas-Bauer outlines the three stages of the classical tradition: first, read for facts; then evaluate them; finally, form your own opinions. After explaining the mechanics of each stage (e.g., what type of notes to take in the book itself, or in the journal), Bauer begins the list section of the book, with separate chapters for her five major genres: fiction, autobiography/memoir, history/politics, drama and poetry. She introduces each category with a concise discussion of its historical development and the major scholarly debates, clearly defining all important terms (e.g., postmodernism, metafiction). And then, the piece de resistance: lists, in chronological order, of some 30 major works in each genre, complete with advice on choosing the edition and a one-page synopsis. Bauer has crafted a timeless, intelligent book. (Aug.) Forecast: Bauer's book has a large potential readership. For serious self-educators, it's a well-balanced, long-lasting reading program. For book-clubbers, it's a brilliant guide on to how to analyze any given literary work-even if it's not on Bauer's list. And for college students in trouble, it's a quick gloss of books there wasn't time to read, plus sound advice on spotting critical fallacies. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Not just what to read-from Cervantes to Byatt-but how. Bauer draws on methods she used successfully in The Well-Trained Mind. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Adult/High School-Written in a straightforward style accessible to most students, this readable book provides solid, step-by-step advice on how to read some of the world's great books with discipline and comprehension. The first four chapters explain the author's well-thought-out three-step program, how and why it works, and how to prepare to use it. The remainder of the volume devotes a chapter each to analysis of novels, autobiography/memoirs, history, drama, and poetry. The system involves reading each book three times: once for the facts, once for analysis, and once for an informed evaluation of the author's ideas. Readers are encouraged during this process to mark up their books with comments and questions in the margins (or use Post-Its), and to keep a journal of quotes, summaries, questions, and ruminations. The genre chapters include some history, a discussion of important terms used, questions about the books that readers will want to ask themselves, a thoughtful pr?cis of 25 or so important titles presented chronologically (with discussion of the changes in the genre over the centuries), and recommendations for the best and cheapest editions of each title. Works range from the Greeks to Francis Fukuyama, from Cervantes to Don Delillo, from Homer to Rita Dove. Some Web sites are also mentioned as sources for understanding. While few teens will want or have time to read a book three times, most will find much of value in helping them to understand their reading assignments.-Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Humanities home schooling for adults. Bauer (The History of the Renaissance World: From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople, 2013, etc.) is a critic of educational institutions: high schools teach students to read to the 10th-grade level, enough to master Stephen King, newspapers, and Time; college graduates often feel "a nagging sense of their own deficiencies." In graduate school, the author once earned an A for a presentation on Moby-Dick, a novel she hadn't even finished. What should you do, she asks, "if your mind is hungry, but you feel unprepared, under-educated, intimidated by all those books you know you should have read?" Her prescription: read intensely for half an hour, four days a week, and analyze according to the trivium: "First, you'll try to understand the book's basic structure and argument; next, you'll evaluate the book's assertions; finally, you'll form an opinion about the book's ideas." Bauer offers an overview and specific questions for major literary genres: the novel, autobiography and memoir, history, drama, poetry, and science, along with a chronological list of books she deems important, each with her brief commentary. Although the author claims that no list of "Great Books" is canonical, her own echoes works endorsed by Mortimer Adler, innovator of the Great Books curriculum at the University of Chicago; and Harold Bloom, champion of the Western canon. The third part of Bauer's trivium is likely to cause the most difficulty: how are readers to know if their opinions are "correct"? She recommends getting a reading partner to discuss ideas, "skimming an essay or two of criticism," or seeking an appointment with a faculty member at a nearby college, a possibility that seems both unrealistic and frustrating for both parties. Despite her disdain for schools, her book would be most useful in a classroom setting, where discussions, essay writing, and a teacher's expert guidance could foster the critical thinking that Bauer so passionately exalts. A useful resource for highly self-motivated readers. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
