Why We Read

Shannon Reed, a New Yorker contributor and longtime teacher, argues that reading's greatest value isn't self-improvement or literary credibility but sheer pleasure. Why We Read moves between her own formative reading experiences and the ways books have shaped her students, covering everything from novels she treasures like Their Eyes Were Watching God to ones she's less fond of, like Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Written with warmth and comic timing, the essay collection celebrates readers of every kind and makes a genuinely persuasive case for reading as an act of joy rather than obligation.