How to Read a Book: Parallels of Consuming Food and Books
How to read a book, a classical text written by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren is a book that has been on my “to read” list for the last two years. In essence, it is a practical text that provides a comprehensive understanding of how to read a book. This book was introduced to me from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, a scholar, and teacher at Zaytuna College and a visionary Muslim leader in the USA. (see his lectures on the book here: Part 1, Part 2).
I learned only after reading this book, that consuming knowledge and consuming food are related; that understanding the components and terms of a book, or pieces of writing is similar to understanding the layers that comprise our meals, and our relationship with food and eating.
Flash forward to this past summer, we were at my friend Luke’s house, and it so happened that sitting on his shelf was, ‘How to Read a Book’. My eyes lit up as I felt serendipity in it showing up in my life again. He generously offered to lend it to me, and I felt as though it would finally be my time to read this book. I joined a book club at the tail-end of 2019, where this book was the book of choice, and I found that time and time again, I would strike parallels between reading and eating to build on some analogous concepts relating to both. Joking with my book club mates, I kept relating reading to eating, and here is what I learned:
This book has a lot to offer - and I felt a calling to not only increase the number of books I was reading (was inspired from this beautiful short documentary here), but also to increase the quality of my reads and ability to transform myself through the acquired info. Reading books (and good ones especially - see the books reading recommendations list here), is a super way to pursue personal, continuing education.
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Food is consumption (and an art), as is reading, and this book explained and answered the question of how to read a book? Because the act of eating and reading are in essence a form of consuming, I began to strike similarities to the relationship that reading and food have in common, especially with respect to the consumer.
Here are a few reflections from the book and how they parallel with our experience of food:
The book dove headfirst into describing the different types of reading and broke it down simply into four types of reading, each with a designated purpose and format.
Elementary reading
Inspectional Reading
Analytical Reading
And Syntopical reading
The mode of reading that interested me the most was syntopical reading. Syntopical reading is the ability to read (or study) a number of texts (usually synonymously) and derives from it a pattern or understanding that you would otherwise be unable to arrive at from a single text alone. This, to me, is like a gourmet meal. I think back to my grandmothers’ homes where they would prepare a number of dishes (usually 4-5) on occasions where our families would congregate, and their artisanship of flavour pairing, colour presentation, and quality ingredients would come together to deliver such a transcendent level of nourishment. Syntopical reading, analogous to these table spreads would include a variety and diversity of ingredients, flavours, and appearances, but when consumed together, formed an experience like none other on our tongues, bellies, and in our hearts.
Some more food for thought include:
1. Mortimor and Adler discuss the relationship between writer and reader, and how it is never a monologue that occurs between them, rather, it is always a dialogue. They compare it to a baseball game:
“Let me use the example of baseball. Catching the ball is just as much an activity as pitching or hitting it. The pitcher or batter is the giver here in the sense that his activity initiates the motion of the ball. The catcher or fielder is the receiver in the sense that his activity terminates it. Both are equally active, though the activities are distinctly different. If anything is passive here, it is the ball; it is pitched and caught. It is the inert thing which is written and read, like the ball, is the passive object common to the two activities which begin and terminate the process.”
This reminded me of the importance of knowing the cook behind the meal and how this level of sourcing our food can have a profound impact on our sense of connection and overall relationship with what we consume. Additionally, this section of the book reminded me of why I am drawn to food the way I am; I am drawn to food because of the matriarchs in my family. Much like the pitcher, my grandmothers have passed along a legacy and tradition of deep-rooted relationship to food, cooking, baking and more!. Pun alert: Guess this is my “Batter up” moment!
2. Reading books twice, is like eating a good dish twice. You anticipate the deliciousness, but pick up on the nuances in flavour and new notes. (and this all depends on the quality of the book/food)
3. The richness of a book can sometimes require some time to savour and dissect the elements. Much like an artisan cheesecake, you would not want to ‘speed eat it’ (like speed reading a book), as it would discount the overall experience and enjoyment levels. #savourthemoment
4. A more critical observation is: just as though some foods may look good, it may not mean that it is in fact good for you. Cover art, and pop knowledge culture is catchy, flashy, and may leave you feeling like you MUST consume it, even though it may not be good for you. Food works the same.
5. True knowledge and transformation occurs only after one realizes the essence of a subject and is able to digest the content consumed or digested. Similarly, food’s ability to nourish is directly tied to the impact the foods we eat have on our bodies (short term and long term), and our ability to understand these impacts.
In spirit of bringing this analogy full circle, my book club mates and I met for a final time to commemorate a great book and a warm meal. Finishing the book and the meal felt oddly similar: satisfying, full, and empowering.
Our minds and souls are the most important vessel that we fill. Here’s to nourishing them both accordingly with what is pure and beneficial, Ameen.
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Sources:
Documentary: Bookstores: how to read more book in the golden age of content
Sh.Hamza Videos: How to read a book by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Part 1, and Part 2
Reading list from the end of “How to Read a Book”
GIF from Rattatoui
You can find the entire book: How to Read a Book online here.