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The Gifts of Reading for the Next Generation: Essays on Nurturing a Passion for Reading
288 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 12, 2026
A book? No, a revelation. An insight into reading, its pleasures, joys and the immeasurable effect of giving as a GIFT not an ITEM.
I read it on a beach holiday with my crew, the children I created, it felt eerie, special and strangely new. One son reads only on holidays. I love this. The themes personified. Literally.
From writers long gone to a young writer living up the mountain from me, to a passionate illustrator, activists and social warriors. Literacy mavericks all. A beautifully curated gathering of essays humming with a pure almost primal truth telling.
Alice Pung’s devastatingly beautiful found family story. Diana Reid’s father’s weather be damned ritual and his breathtaking commitment to read the same as her. A lost man pondering life and death in wartime Europe as the living writer shapes that life into his own reading journey. A narrative partnership between a US soldier & a Vietnamese female survivor. WORDS made this happen.
Read what your parents hate and love equally. NO RULES. A cafe hanging vouchers so youths can choose their own. A teacher walking miles to teach. Children across the globe gaining access to an infinity of books. As worlds collide the gifts become tangible.
An uncanny blend of personal conversation, international voices, cataclysmic adventures and a deeply seeded belief in the right to literacy. A hidden gem to open hearts and lead us to ponder our OWN love of words. Stories disappearing into screens, WHY reading is vigilante.
Talking with the author deepened everything. Not a read for me, an introspection that morphed into solace, a huge dive leading further than the physical book.
✨𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵e. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨✨ @nikeshshukla you have my 🤍
With thanks to the author and publisher for my physical copy to read and review.
I read it on a beach holiday with my crew, the children I created, it felt eerie, special and strangely new. One son reads only on holidays. I love this. The themes personified. Literally.
From writers long gone to a young writer living up the mountain from me, to a passionate illustrator, activists and social warriors. Literacy mavericks all. A beautifully curated gathering of essays humming with a pure almost primal truth telling.
Alice Pung’s devastatingly beautiful found family story. Diana Reid’s father’s weather be damned ritual and his breathtaking commitment to read the same as her. A lost man pondering life and death in wartime Europe as the living writer shapes that life into his own reading journey. A narrative partnership between a US soldier & a Vietnamese female survivor. WORDS made this happen.
Read what your parents hate and love equally. NO RULES. A cafe hanging vouchers so youths can choose their own. A teacher walking miles to teach. Children across the globe gaining access to an infinity of books. As worlds collide the gifts become tangible.
An uncanny blend of personal conversation, international voices, cataclysmic adventures and a deeply seeded belief in the right to literacy. A hidden gem to open hearts and lead us to ponder our OWN love of words. Stories disappearing into screens, WHY reading is vigilante.
Talking with the author deepened everything. Not a read for me, an introspection that morphed into solace, a huge dive leading further than the physical book.
✨𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵e. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨✨ @nikeshshukla you have my 🤍
With thanks to the author and publisher for my physical copy to read and review.
April 28, 2026
What an absolute treasure of a book. This collection of 25 essays focuses on 'nurturing a passion for reading' which, as a mother of two school-age children, I view one of the most important aspects of my life. This was a library book but I want to buy my own copy when I can afford myself a treat.
There are threads which link some of the essays, such as immigration as well as particular books and authors (I must get my hands on some James Baldwin!). If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be '[There are no] rules for reading' by Nikesha Shukla but I also adored the inspiring 'From Library card holder to library builder' by John Wood, 'Stories save lives' by Wayne Karlin and 'The gift of hope' by Alice Pung.
A couple of quotes I liked (I could easily list dozens):
'Printer's ink is the greatest explosive' (Lawrence Ferlinghetti, located in JohnMichael McCann's introduction on p.127),
and a sentiment in John Wood's essay on p.282, although not about reading, was still one I could very much relate to:
'No day that starts with a mountain trek in the morning sunlight can be a bad day'.
There are threads which link some of the essays, such as immigration as well as particular books and authors (I must get my hands on some James Baldwin!). If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be '[There are no] rules for reading' by Nikesha Shukla but I also adored the inspiring 'From Library card holder to library builder' by John Wood, 'Stories save lives' by Wayne Karlin and 'The gift of hope' by Alice Pung.
A couple of quotes I liked (I could easily list dozens):
'Printer's ink is the greatest explosive' (Lawrence Ferlinghetti, located in JohnMichael McCann's introduction on p.127),
and a sentiment in John Wood's essay on p.282, although not about reading, was still one I could very much relate to:
'No day that starts with a mountain trek in the morning sunlight can be a bad day'.
July 15, 2025
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, even though I was often unfamiliar with the novels or stories or poems to which the authors, whose essays were collected in this volume, referred. As usual this was also attributable to different geographical origins, but nevertheless, and this I suppose applies to any reader besides me, the words resonated, because we all grew up reading and some never stopped.
Questo libro mi é piaciuto parecchio, anche se spesso e volentieri non conoscevo i romanzi o le storie o le poesie a cui gli autori, i cui saggi erano raccolti in questo volume, facevano riferimento. Come al solito questo é da imputarsi anche alle differenti origini geografiche, ma ciononostante, e questo suppongo valga per qualsiasi lettore oltre a me, le parole risuonavano, perché tutti noi siamo cresciuti leggendo ed alcuni non hanno mai smesso.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Questo libro mi é piaciuto parecchio, anche se spesso e volentieri non conoscevo i romanzi o le storie o le poesie a cui gli autori, i cui saggi erano raccolti in questo volume, facevano riferimento. Come al solito questo é da imputarsi anche alle differenti origini geografiche, ma ciononostante, e questo suppongo valga per qualsiasi lettore oltre a me, le parole risuonavano, perché tutti noi siamo cresciuti leggendo ed alcuni non hanno mai smesso.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews