7 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE BOOK: HOW TO READ A BOOK BY MORTIMER J. ADLER

1. KNOW WHY YOU ARE READING

We often read for one of these three reasons: entertainment, information, and understanding.

A book is informational if it only tells us about something, without explaining the why of that something.

2. READ TO UNDERSTAND MORE

When we read an explanatory book about something, then the result is that we'll understand that something better than before. Although there's nothing wrong about reading for entertainment or information, it is more rewarding to read books that'll increase your understanding of something.

3. READ ACTIVELY

Reading a book for the sake of reading, which is reading for entertainment, will not improve you. Therefore, get rid of all distractions and focus on the book. Reread as much as necessary until you understand the author's message.

4. DON'T RUSH TO GET HELP

Most difficult books will challenge your understanding as you read them. If something is difficult to understand, try rereading it again. Most of the time you'll eventually understand the author after some continuous effort, which is better than googling criticism on the book. When you gain understanding on your own through rereading, you grow to the author's level of understanding. Lookup criticism afterwards, to see if your assumptions were correct.

5. READ AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS

Most readers try reading at their quickest speeds all the time. But unfortunately, it's impossible to understand most difficult books when reading quickly. Therefore, read easy books quickly, but take your time with difficult books.

6. INSPECT A BOOK BEFORE READING IT.

We are all interested in different subjects. Hence we should read those books that appeal to us. Read at book's introduction and table of contents to see if it's your type of book. Additionally, determine if your book is practical or theoretical. Theoretical books are those that teach you something without demanding action on your part. For example, a title like "The side effects of smoking" is theoretical. Whereas a title like "How to quit smoking" is practical.

7. JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.

Practical books are meant to persuade us to take action. So you need to apply the actions recommended in a practical book in your real life. But if your disagree with the author's actions, you have a full right to disagree with the book altogether.