Why That Stack of Unread Books on Your Table Isn't a Guilt Problem

How My Son Taught Me to Read a Book the Right Way at 70-Something

Something different happened to me while reading a non-fiction book yesterday.

I had a flood of ideas. I’ve read hundreds of non-fiction books. Most of the time it is just more information. But this time was different. Way different. But why?

My son David helped me figure this out. I was reading for a reason. Here’s the story.

We were on our way home from the mountains after an early morning motorcycle ride. We were on the tail end of a five hour, two hundred and twenty-five mile joy ride. David and I use our riding time to talk. We have a helmet-to-helmet intercom system that lets us talk to each other. It is a great time to have a long, rambling conversation while enjoying our ride and the beautiful twisties of North Georgia.

David said, “I am reading a lot of business books these days. They are filled with good ideas. Some I can apply now, and some maybe later. The problem I’m having is that there is just too much information. I can’t process it all or remember it all.”

“That’s funny. I thought it was me. As I get older, I just assumed my short-term memory was leaving me because I have the same problem. I read the book and then don’t remember half of it,” I said.

David continued, “I don’t think the problem is age-related. We don’t realize how much information we are processing every day. We are in overload. But here is what I started doing to get through more material and retain what is important to me right now.”

Then he told me his plan for more effective non-fiction reading.

1. Read the jacket cover, which provides the book summary and describes the author. Also, read the table of contents.

2. Write down the questions you want this book to answer.

3. Read the preface or first chapter. You are looking for a more extended book summary here. This may prompt you to add to your questions.

4. Read the first two paragraphs and the last paragraph of each chapter with a pen in hand. Write notes, ideas, and any answers you receive to your questions.

5. When finished with the book, write a one-page summary. This includes the answers to your questions and your summary of the book. Keep this with the book.

6. Keep the book in full view to remind you of what you read and learned. Just seeing it will be a reminder of its content.

7. Discuss the book and what you learned with a friend. When you articulate what you’ve learned, it will better stick with you going forward.

After hearing this, I said, “This is brilliant. Now I know why the book I was reading this morning gave me so many ideas. I am looking for ideas for the presentations I’ll be giving in a month in Uganda. I realize now that everything I am reading, watching, or listening to is helping me answer the question, ‘What should I present?’ I am reading for a reason. I have a question I must answer.”

“Exactly,” he said. “This is how this method of reading non-fiction works for me, too.”

Then he said, “My only concern with this is, ‘What am I missing?’ by reading this way. Since I am reading to answer specific questions I have on the subject, am I missing something else I am supposed to learn?”

“You won’t miss what you’re supposed to learn if you make your concern one of your questions. What am I supposed to learn from this author that I’m not looking for?” I said.

The principle here is simple and time-tested. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

(Later, while reflecting on this, I realized this is why school was so difficult for me. I was asked to read books I wasn’t interested in and read without purpose.)

Wherever I go, people are telling me about a great book they read on the subject we are discussing. If I am sufficiently interested in the topic, I write the book’s title in my notebook. Maybe I’ll order it, but I want to think about it first. Sometimes the person I’m meeting with is so excited about it, he’ll send me a copy. But most of those books sit in a stack on my reading table. This stack creates guilt.

Guilt no more

I learned something very important from this conversation with David. I don’t read the books because I’m not interested enough in the subject. I don’t have any questions I want answered. Or the questions don’t bother me enough to invest my time in getting them answered. That’s why the book is still sitting in my reading stack, unread. This student is not ready.

Are there any non-fiction books you would recommend?

If there are, this is what you are thinking about. This is your area of interest. This is what’s important to you at this time in your life.

For me, right now, I’m reading biographies. I want to read about lives well lived.

Here’s a two-minute video summary on how to read non-fiction books.