University of Kwazulu-Natal

Why Are Hard Books Important Ask Dexa

Bonisiwe Shabane
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why are hard books important ask dexa

Reading, especially challenging books, is vital for various reasons. First, reading skills underpin the study of all disciplines, from behavioral economics to ancient history. The ability to learn through reading is crucial as education progresses [1]. Additionally, the act of reading is threatened by screens and technology, with reading rates declining among young people. Despite this, Doug Lemov argues that to inspire children to read, presenting them with challenging and engaging books is crucial rather than simplifying texts [1]. Moreover, the practice of close reading is emphasized, where readers grapple with texts outside their comfort zones.

This skill is particularly important in higher education and professional life where understanding complex material is necessary. Close reading enables students to understand more than the gist of a text, analyzing each line and the construction of meaning. Doug Lemov advocates for encouraging students to tackle difficult books to learn the value of struggling with texts and developing strategies to comprehend them [2]. Furthermore, building a reading habit is likened to developing a fitness routine: starting with topics of interest and gradually exploring new genres can spark curiosity and broaden one's perspective. Similar to exercising, you gradually build up to more challenging material, and the ideal reading habit is one that doesn't feel burdensome [3]. In summary, hard books are important because they strengthen reading skills necessary across all fields, challenge our thinking, and encourage deeper levels of comprehension.

They also help develop perseverance and the ability to struggle with complex ideas, traits valuable for academic success and intellectual growth. In our modern era of instant information and bite-sized entertainment, reading intellectually challenging material can seem like an unnecessary burden. Why struggle through a dense classic novel, a difficult philosophical treatise, or an intricate historical account when easier, more accessible options are available? However, those who embrace the challenge of “hard books” often find their intellectual lives enriched in ways that lighter reading simply cannot provide. In the context of classical education, where the cultivation of wisdom and virtue is paramount, reading hard books is not just beneficial — it is essential. Reading a difficult text requires patience, focus, and perseverance.

When a book is challenging, the reader cannot simply coast through it in a passive way. Instead, he or she must engage actively, rereading passages, looking up words, and considering complex ideas. This process strengthens the mind much like physical exercise strengthens the body. In an age where attention spans are shrinking, the discipline developed through reading demanding works is invaluable. A student who has struggled through The Republic by Plato, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, or The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer will develop the ability to sustain deep thought. This intellectual stamina prepares individuals for rigorous study in any discipline, whether in law, medicine, theology, or philosophy.

Even more importantly, it enables them to engage with the weighty questions of life with clarity and insight. Many of the greatest works of literature, philosophy, and theology do not provide easy answers. Instead, they invite the reader into a serious intellectual and moral struggle. Consider Augustine’s Confessions, where the author wrestles with questions of sin, grace, and divine providence. Or regard Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which raises profound questions about justice, revenge, and the meaning of existence. These works challenge us not just to understand but to engage, to debate, and to form our own reasoned conclusions.

By reading hard books, we learn that truth is not always simple. Life’s most significant questions — What is justice? What is virtue? What is the good life? — are not easily answered. Grappling with these texts prepares us for the complexity of real-world ethical and philosophical dilemmas.

“Good books are over your head; they would not be good for you if they were not. And books that are over your head weary you unless you can reach up to them and pull yourself up their level.” — Mortimer Adler I’ve just finished reading The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist. It took 10x longer than expected. What slowed me down was the numerous moments I sat back in awe at what I’d just read on the page (it’s profound—you should read it). But also the fact that it’s not an easy read.

It’s certainly not something you can leisurely scan through and gain an understanding of the concepts. Thanks for reading Sam Matla! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. And tt’s been a good reminder of the value of difficult books. There’s something you get from reading hard books that you don’t get from easy books. And that something is what I want to explore in this post.

In middle school and high school, your teachers probably encouraged you to seek out primary sources, which are original accounts of a topic, as opposed to secondary sources, which are retellings or summaries of... However, teachers often don’t acknowledge an important fact: Primary sources are really boring and hard to read. If they’re historical texts, they’ll have different writing conventions, which makes them much harder to parse. Or, if they’re from the present but are academic, they’ll use language that is uncommon outside of their field. Reading a modern account that summarizes the topic, such as a Wikipedia article, can help you understand a concept much more quickly than you would’ve by reading primary sources. With the advent of the internet, summaries have proliferated.

It used to be that if you wanted to learn something, and your professor’s curriculum wasn’t working for you, the best way to learn was to go to the library and find a book... But now we live in a more advanced world where challenging subjects have been summarized and popularized in YouTube videos and Wikipedia articles. Learning class material via YouTube isn’t bad by itself—I’ve certainly saved many hours by watching videos by The Efficient Engineer instead of reading my textbooks—but using YouTube as your professor won’t work forever for... First, as you continue to learn from the internet, you’re bound to notice diminishing returns. For example, there must be hundreds of thousands of videos, articles and websites out there that explain how to multiply and divide fractions or factor polynomials. Once you get higher up into mathematics and have to deal with concepts such as derivatives and Laplace transforms, though, things get trickier.

There’s still information out there, but it gets much harder to find resources that will explain it better than the textbook you paid an extortionate amount of money for. Eventually, once you reach math concepts that I’m not educated enough to know the names of, you will have to accept the sad truth that not all knowledge is free and easy to find... Some of it can only be gained from an expert in the field, which is why becoming a part of an academic community is useful. But, much more often, it’ll exist in a textbook or journal, completely unsummarized. If, up to that point, you’ve been avoiding textbooks like the plague, what happens then? Second, a person who relies on summaries can be abused by them.

The act of summarizing itself involves making value judgments about what parts of a text are important, and the person making that video may not even be aware of the judgments they made. More importantly, there’s active disinformation: Someone could simply lie about what’s in the text that they’re summarizing. How would you know that they’re wrong? This risk of misinformation isn’t just unique to us college students, though. Most people get their facts and opinions not from primary sources, but from news outlets or commentators that do the research for them. Obviously, if you relied solely on primary sources at all times, you’d spend all your time doing research and never come to any conclusion.

But being a responsible agent of knowledge means that when your brain tells you that something doesn’t seem right, you have to do the research the hard way. Still, being good at reading complex works is important in other ways. Being able to parse legal documents, tax forms or contracts can help you catch important points that you otherwise would’ve missed. Have you ever picked up a book you were excited to read, only to find it’s like deciphering an alien language? Picture this: You are holding a dense tome - maybe Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, or Marx’s Das Kapital - and it feels like staring at a locked vault. The words swirl, the ideas loom like shadowy giants, and you are tempted to ditch it for scrolling social media, a beach read, or a Netflix binge.

But what if I told you that you could crack that vault wide open? That you could not only read but understand those intimidating texts - and even enjoy the process? I am here to share the secrets I have honed from wrestling with tough books, from my postgrad studies, where I tackled dense logic texts, to teaching university students how to conquer thinkers like... I have spent years reading complex ideas across fields - physics to metaphysics - and distilling them into lectures and articles that make the obscure accessible. Let’s embark on this adventure together and unlock the art of reading hard books. Reading a hard book is like planning a heist - you need a strategy.

Pre-reading strategies are your recon mission. Start by previewing the book. Flip through the title, subtitle, table of contents, and chapter headings. Skim the introduction and conclusion to grasp the author’s main argument. When I tackled Heidegger’s Being and Time, I scanned the intro to understand his focus on “being” before getting into the text. Check out summaries or reviews online—Wikipedia or a quick YouTube video can give you a bird’s-eye view.

Think of it as scouting the terrain. Next, set a purpose. Ask: Why am I reading this? Is it for a class, personal growth, or to flex your intellectual muscles? Knowing your “why” keeps you focused. If you are reading Sartre’s Being and Nothingness for a philosophy class, maybe you only need the sections on existentialism, not every word.

Finally, choose the right edition. Books like Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment or Machiavelli’s The Prince often have annotated versions with helpful notes. For Hegel, a “Reader’s Guide” can be a lifeline. Pick an edition that feels like a trusted guide, not a cryptic puzzle. 2. While You Read - Engage Like a Detective

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