HOW TO READ NOW Essays

Elaine Castillo is that rare author who writes a stimulating series of essays and is also a fine narrator. She uses pauses adeptly, restrains irony, and has a naturally empathetic tone. Plus, she has a gift for languages: Her French is spot-on; her German, Germanic . . . Her essays have a distinctively political valence. White supremacy in publishing, literature, and life is skewered. Sacred cows like Joan Didion and Jane Austen are milked. But there are real appreciations of the late English author John Berger and Native American poet Tommy Pico. The title is more didactic than the audiobook; the book itself is more of an invitation to examine how we read--what predispositions we bring--than a how-to manual. This audiobook is provocative and fun. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2022]