Why We Read

January 8, 2024
In this loving ode, Reed (Why Did I Get a B?), a creative writing lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh, serves up witty reflections on the joys of books. When “reading, I was never lonely, the way I sometimes felt in real life,” Reed writes, describing how as a child she found books to be a welcome respite from talking with others, whom she often struggled to understand because of a hearing impairment. Recounting notable episodes from her reading life, she recalls becoming an “excellent skimmer” as a kid by participating in a Pizza Hut program that rewarded students with slices for each book read and discusses drawing motivation from subpar books she reviewed in her 20s (“If they can publish a book, who’s to say I can’t?”). Reed blames elitist disdain toward genre fiction for turning off many would-be readers and encourages people to pick out whatever books they’re personally drawn to. The meditations on reading are at once wry and heartening (she calls the habit “a dear friend who’s always there for me but never, ever asks for a slice”), and the humor amuses (a list of “signs you may be a character in a Shakespearean play” includes “you are dead, but still speaking”). Bibliophiles will find much to love. Agent: Bonnie Nadell, Hill Nadell Literary.