What We Read, And Why

by Warren Fernandez

What We Read, and Why is for anyone who has wondered how to make sense of our bewildering, fast-changing world. How do we cope with the welter of information all around us? How do we tell fact from fiction, given the proliferation of misleading or fake news, videos, and content? The answer is simple: we must read and develop our ability to think critically. In this book, we will read from people who do so. In personal essays, business, political, media and community leaders, as well as parents, teachers and students who share what they read, and why — to learn and know, to grow, to go places, to feel and give, but most of all, to live!

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2026

Reviews

[Puty]

Okay, I can't help flexing because I'm among the contributors of this book alongside several Singapore VVIPs & intellectuals like Lee Hsien Loong, Tommy Koh, and of course, Warren Fernandez himself who is the former Editor-in-Chief at SPH Media and Editor of The Straits Times. There are also children, students, and other SEA figures from neighboring countries contributing to this book.

Now, about the book itself. The title is self explanatory. It's a book about the importance of reading and why, more than ever, we should really nurture the habit. It consists of short articles, mostly personal, about the joy and the benefit of reading books.

I would say that many really worry about the decline in our ability to read in long form and think critically. The data showed that across a range of tests, the average person's ability to reason and solve novel problems appear to have peaked in the early 2010s and has been declining ever since. It coincides with how our relationship with information shifted to the obsession of never ending bite-sized information on the screen.

If you like books and love reading, I think you'll nod constantly. It's divided into six chapters; Read to Know, Read to Grow, Read to Go, Read to Feel, Read to Give, and Read to Live. Wisdom, leadership, empathy are words that appears multiple times especially from the leaders. Reading long-form is always important because wisdom can't be rushed. As Mazuin Zin, the CEO of Edelman Malaysia wrote:

"Wisdom don't come from speed. It comes from depth. Reading forces us to slow down. It invites us to reflect. It gives us space to think, not just about what's being said, but about what's not being said. That's where critical thinking lives: in the margins, in the pauses, in the questions that arise when you're not rushing to the next task."

As for me, I shared my experience as a mother and how we should intentionally make time for reading books so children will follow 😊

I totally recommend this book for the book lovers and reading advocates! 📖