Why We Read

People read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel understood, to visit other worlds, to pick up new recipes, to connect across differences, or just to get through a rainy afternoon. Whatever the reason, books can keep us safe, challenge us and help us become more fully human. Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader and New Yorker contributor, makes the case that reading for pleasure should come before everything else.

This collection is funny and sharp. Reed tells unexpected stories from her life as a reader and describes the moving ways books have affected her students. She writes about novels she treasures, such as Gone Girl and Their Eyes Were Watching God, and about ones she did not enjoy, such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

The result is a lively tour of the comforting world of literature that celebrates the books we love, the people who love them and the ways reading can change us for the better. Reed was a finalist for the Thurber Prize.