How to Read Better and Faster

by Norman Lewis

A classic book, written by the English language expert Norman Lewis, How To Read Better And Faster was used as a guide book by several top-notch universities, the Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force to improve the reading skills and abilities of their students and trainees. How To Read Better And Faster imparts the skills and techniques for improving one’s reading abilities so as to get the most from the written word, be it books, newspapers, texts, or magazines. The book is based on the idea that in order to read better, one must have enhanced levels of both, retention, and concentration. Effective speed reading involves not just the number of words an individual can read per minute, but rather, focuses on how many words are understood clearly. With this in mind, the author presents effective tools and techniques for improving powers of retention, and reading speed, guiding readers on how to better their concentration on the reading material at hand, build on their word vocabulary, quickly scan a page and grasp its main ideas, build efficiency, and save time while sifting through volumes of bulky reading material.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Language, Writing, Reference, Productivity, Education

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I read on the topic of fast reading. Norman Lewis tells us all the basics of fast reading and helps us to understand our correct reading speed and improve it through various exercises.

This will be a good choice if you are interested in increasing your reading speed.
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[Lujain Alloosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so grateful I found this book. I might not be the fastest reader now, but I've at least increased my reading speed by 100%(I was unnaturally slow).

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say this was, to me, an extremely useful book. Much more than anticipated. I thought I was a quick reader before, but thanks to the excercises in this book, I managed to increase my speed by another 20% on average.
Yes, it is lengthy, but it really takes you step by step, giving good guidance and excercises. And even though it was originally written in 1944 (I read the 1958 completly revised 3rd edition), it is far from antiquated. In fact, apart from the obviously dated selection of articles for the reading excercises, the whole was fairly modern.

e.g. p 348 At the beginning of the section about reading critically, the author states that every writer wants to convince the reader of his philosophy, attitude, POV. Even in fiction, a writer is a "special pleader." He continues:
"And, of course, it is almost impossible to pick up a magazine or newspaper today without being bombarded by special pleading. As you turn the pages, almost every writer is saying to you, directly or by implication, "This si what I think; or, This is how I feel; or, This is how I interpret a situation; or, These are the conclusions I draw from the (selected) facts; This is how I solve a problem; or, This is how to do the job; or, This is how I react to what has happened; or, This is how you should react; or, this is the furniture, clothing, perfume, cereal, book, soap, cigarette, automobile, or liquor you should buy, the transportation you should use, the play or motion picture you should see, the vacation you should take, or the charity you should contribute to"; and so on and on, in endless, infinite variety."
And this was written way before the social media age.
Yes, the author uses lengthy sentences at times (and here it serves its purpose), but it is worth the effort.

I also appreciated the author´s thoughts about why to read (both for furthering education, as well as entertainment), and in the chapter about skipping and skimming (which in my opinion is sacrilige), he made an appealing case, and argued that these techniques should be used sparsely, if at all.

So, all in all, yes, these almost 400 pages take a while to get through (ironically), it is worth the effort, in my opinion.

For more, check out https://mimisworldofstories.blogspot....

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I worked really hard on studying and completing ALL 30 of the sessions including the vocabulary lessons. I learned so much. Even though the selections in the timed reading sections were very outdated, the techniques and skills outlined in the book were not. It was extremely useful and worthwhile. Now I just need to practice what I've learned!
4 1/2 stars.

[CF · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's worth a read once. The exercises in there are worth it.

[Deepak Jaisinghani · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

For a book which is supposed to teach you how to find the meat of the comprehension and skim the rest, it surely does likes beating around the bush for way too long, building up things with a drum beat and then repeating them again and again after the main idea is conveyed.

But then I think the author may have deliberately chose to go down this path. He wants you to practise the techniques illustrated in the book with the book you are holding in your hands as a start. Maybe he is consciously nudging us to go faster, as we already know the gist of the idea.

Worth reading once. But go fast and skim the better chunk of it. Move along when you get the main ideas.

[Mohit Virmani · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a workbook. Must read for anyone looking to improve the reading habits. I could increase my reading speed by more than 70%. Would recommend that book is read daily along with doing exercises and is completed within a set timeframe. 1-2 months should be more than enough. Happy reading and get ready to feel a change in your bad reading habits.

[Laurie Siblock]

This looks like a lot of work and I've tried and lost interest in other speed reading books because it felt hard and like it took the pleasure out of reading. But this author claims that once you do the hard work of getting your speed up you will actually comprehend more and you will read as comfortably as you did at your slower speed. It's worth the old college try! I'll keep you posted.

[Lori Gawdyda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I actually sped read this one. Not very detailed, I ordered another book on the topic today. I am very interested in the topic. I hope I can learn to do it!

[Vivek Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though most of the message is redundant, exercises are very useful and help you build a more active rather than passive attitude towards reading.

[Dharmendra Chouhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all those who want to read books at faster pace without losing on comprehension.

[Payal Bhatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who is looking for a speed-up reading basic manual. This is going to be awesome for the person as I was one of them. If continued the mechanics learned, then certainly one can become an avid reader. I was not fond of reading earlier but now I am really looking for books to apply the training.

[Abhignan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book teaches you in a Very methodical way to improve your reading speed and involves lots of practice sessions.
Helped me in changing few of my learning habits and learned the mechanics of reading and efficient methods. I wouldn't have learned these things or unlearned few of my bad reading habits without this book. Leaving aside the fact that this book's help in improving reading speed - it helps you know the Good and Bad reading habits and practices. There is a considerable improvement in my reading speed too.

[Kunal Gupta]

Its a workbook... good one. Felt like i am back in school while reading it. you have to do it diligently to be able to benefit from it.

[Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be the first book recommendation for everyone and anyone who's into reading. It has greatly improved my reading skills. Awesome, just awesome!😁

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came into this book with the curiosity of how I could improve my reading ability. Norman made this book in a workbook style, where he lays out what defines an efficient, good reader, what skills are needed, and how to train those skills. To summarize, he focuses on reading speed, comprehension, vocabulary, eye movement and perception, understanding the main theme and structure of writing, thinking with the writer, and concentration.

Each chapter is structured to go through all of these skills and train them. The main indicator he uses is words per minute (WPM), along with questions after every passage. I did see a progression in my WPM. However, forcing yourself to read fast or change the way you read made me more conscious of my reading ability, which interfered with the flow of my reading. I assume this was good because I could consciously try to focus on the tips Norman gave. It still felt strange. In the chapters about breaking down passages into main ideas, themes, and filler content, Norman suggests pushing through the reading quickly and not looking back. But with complex subjects or writers, slow reading is necessary to understand what the writer is truly saying and the complexity of their ideas and thoughts.

The reason I gave it three stars is that the passages in the exercises were rather boring to me. I also don’t necessarily think reading speed correlates with reading ability, understanding, or intelligence. I understand he uses it as a generic tracker for improvement. Therefore, I do suggest this book for those who are illiterate, have a low education level, or haven’t read much in their lives. It gives a good basis for the skills needed to become a better reader.

What this book did do was make me aware of my current estimated reading level and the areas where I need improvement, like comprehension and vocabulary. But in my opinion, just like one of Norman’s biggest pieces of advice, the best way to get better at reading is to read more and more. I also agree that choosing to read widely in fields with which you are unacquainted is the best way to keep an open mind and avoid getting stuck in your beliefs, worldview, and opinions.

[Ansh Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

For learners looking to UP their reading game - Norman Lewis has put forth some incredible ideas. Some of these ideas might feel like you already know of; most probably you do - but an incredible effect occurs when one follows those id.eas with exercises. My 'words per min' increased by almost 50% and I'm not finished yet

There is something very enriching, that comes with limit(time) - especially growth and development. I am happy with, what this book has to offer - ideas and action. So I highly recommend it

[Artin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
I have contradictory thoughts about this book.
It enhanced my speed yes, but at the same time for me as an EFL student, and all the others at similar situations, it should be read carefully, and purposefully.
I will definitely pursue more of speed reading, because I think this works more like an introductory course than the end of a journey.

[Yeyenism · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came upon another gem. It’s very informative and a real guide in reading faster than one normally would. I would definitely employ all the rules and steps to a better reading habit. Normal Lewis is one of my all-time favorite authors!

[Dan Pan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is REVOLUTIONARY. I am so thankful that I picked it up at the thrift store. The book does exactly what it says it’ll do. I now read better, faster, and I ENJOY IT.

I can not recommend it enough.This book has helped me rediscover how satisfying and pleasurable reading is.

[Ujjwal Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read before we put our hands on any other book. My reading speed has almost doubled after just finishing it & following all the rules provided in it. So, please grab it without a second thought.

[Bhanu Pratap · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good book for developing peripheral vision, through exercises, and faster comprehension rate via exercies provided, ingraining lessons learned by repetiton.

wpm increase(constant comprehension) 83%.

you don't know your limit(sounds banal) buy you can read a book day.

[Sangam Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read book if you read lots of book

[Adithya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Techniques are extremely helpful. Rigorous practise helps the reader to read fastly and quickly. Especially the book helps us in understanding the good and bad ways of reading.

[Bhagwan Devkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Best

[Sandeep Suman]

great book on fast reading. I really wanted to read this book as it had enhanced my reading speed exponentially.

[Ahmad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Presents rigorous training with useful insights but some sections are repeated

[Smitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful book. Helps in understanding your current reading speed and the hurdles you have in increasing the speed. A lot of timed reading examples with focus on comprehension.

[Lucas Bomfim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as Adler.

[Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legitimately a helpful book.