The Science of Reading: Information, Media, and Mind in Modern America

This exhaustive outing by Johns (Death of a Pirate), a history professor at the University of Chicago, delves into how scientists have studied the psychological and physiological processes of reading. Early research, he contends, began after the Civil War when the demand for a better-trained industrial workforce and an informed citizenry led scientists to investigate how to improve literacy instruction. Highlighting their eye-opening findings, Johns describes an ophthalmologist’s discovery in the 1870s that “a reader’s eyes typically proceed by a series of abrupt jumps,” even though it feels as though they “pass smoothly along the line,” and he notes that modern neuroscience has confirmed that “a good reader is constantly predicting what words are likely to come next.” Johns covers major developments in the field, including the invention of eye movement tracking devices in the early 20th century, the 1960s hype around machines that promised to teach children to read, and long-standing debates about whether phonics instruction fosters literacy. The scope of the material is almost overwhelming—zigzagging between media theory, history, psychology, and educational policy—but readers will emerge with a deeper appreciation for the complexities of a daily activity many take for granted. This makes for a strong complement to Naomi S. Baron’s How We Read Now. (Apr.)