Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain - Softcover

"The squid of Wolf's title represents the neurobiological approach to the study of reading....Given the panic that takes hold of humanists when the decline of reading is discussed, her cold-blooded perspective is opportune."--The New Yorker

"[Wolf's] conversational style, reflective comments and insights from work with children...create a narrative flow and bright tone."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Blindingly fascinating...detailed and scholarly....There's a lot of difficult material in here. But it's worth the effort....For people interested in language, this is a must. You'll find yourself focusing on words in new ways. Read it slowly--it will take time to sink in."--The Sunday Telegraph

"A book worth talking about."--U.S. News & World Report

"Proust and the Squid is an inspiring celebration of the science of reading....Wolf's insights are fascinating....Proust and the Squid has much to offer on this important--perhaps the most important--subject"--The Guardian (London)

"Enjoyable....Wolf, with remarkable agility in a relatively compact book (intended for both aficionados and the uninitiated), transitions seamlessly between disciplines as diverse as linguistics, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and archeology, among others. Her voice comes through clearly; she is fascinated by reading and shares that energy."--New England Journal of Medicine

"Brilliant and eye-opening."--Philadelphia Inquirer

"Everything Wolf says makes sense....She clearly knows her stuff."--Washington Post Book World

"Wolf's alarm about the spread of semi- literacy among the young is obviously justified, and her book provokes thought about it as only reading can."--Sunday Times (London)

"Brilliant and eye-opening."--Albany Times Union

A developmental psychologist evaluates the ways in which reading and writing have transformed the human brain and the outside world, in an anecdotal study that reveals the significant changes in evolutionary brain physiology throughout history while making cautionary predictions about the possible consequences of technology. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.