Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

How to help a non-reader to read

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
zoebartlett

zoebartlett

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
12,461
I wasn''t sure if this should go here or in the "Library" forum. Anyway...

My husband has never been interested in reading. To give a little background, school was difficult for him because he didn''t put in a lot of effort. His parents never really pushed him, which I think is part of the problem, to be honest (but that''s another story). My husband wasn''t really motivated before, but now he is -- and that''s GREAT. He''s even suggested going to the bookstore to hang out and look for something for him to get. It sounds silly, but this is HUGE for him. Reading has never been an issue for me, and I come from a family of readers. Oddly enough, I''m a certified reading specialist, and I can''t seem to help my own husband. I''m used to teaching little kids, not 37 year olds. My husband is a very slow reader, and it takes a lot for him to absorb a story.

So I have two questions: 1) Does anyone have any ideas of how I can help and encourage him? 2) Do you have any ideas of books that I should steer him toward? He likes books about history and stories that have factual events as opposed to fictional stories. Some of the books he''s been choosing (The Iliad and The Odyssey, works by Shakespeare) seem too tough and a tad lofty. I don''t want to discourage him though. I''m at a loss.

I''d appreciate any suggestions as to how to help. Thanks!
 
I haven't read it myself, but I heard that POMPEII by Robert Harris is good.

it uses fictional characters in a historical setting.
 
Thanks Noel! I''m going to the bookstore today, so I''ll have to look for it.
 
It''s great that you want to encourage him!
36.gif
It depends on what he enjoys to read. The Illiad is definitely not an easy read. My dad used to be a non-reader, but now he''s very much into thrillers, legal dramas and spy stories (Tom Clancy, Phillip Margolin, John Grisham, etc.).
 
Hi Anchor! Thanks for the suggestions. I tried to (gently) mention that the books my husband is choosing might be good to work up to, but he might want to start with other (easier) books. We did go to the library recently and we picked up The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway) and The Diary of Anne Frank. My husband said he read a few pages of Anne Frank and he thought it was pretty good so far. He read a few pages and moved on to doing something else, which is how he always has been with reading. It''s as if he reads a little, then moves on to something else while he mulls over what he''s read. He''s a very smart guy, but reading hasn''t ever been his thing.
 
I really think you have to start slower and be more guy-oriented. What type of television shows he likes would be a clue. How about Harry Potter?
 
Zoe - your hubby and my SO sound very similar. I would suggest finding books that hit home to some of his interests. Also SO really enjoyed The Great Gatsby... which I wouldn''t have thought.
 
Zoe, good for you for trying to encourage him. I second the suggestion of Pompeii, but if I recall, it''s a LONG book. I would aim for books around 200-300 to start so he''s not intimidated. By starting off with smaller books he''ll get a feeling of accomplishment sooner and will be less likely to stop in the middle of it. I hate to say treat him like a kid, but treat him like a kid. Encourage him to read one completely before moving on to another one. Seeing as you guys are from New England, there''s a great author who writes historical adventure books about Boston and the general NE area. His name is William Martin. He has a great book called Back Bay that features a character trying to track down an original silver tea set made by Paul Revere. As his quest evolves, the reader is treated to the history of Boston and the Back Bay. It''s a light read, but really fascinating at the same time. There''s another book called Harvard by the same author. It features the same character looking for a lost Shakespeare quarto and it tells the story of the establishment and evolution of Harvard.

Other authors he might like are:
Mitchner
Clive Cussler
Tom Clancy
James Patterson
 
What are your husband''s interests or hobbies? Is it sports, gardening, doing things around the house? I think once you zero in on what he likes, find reading materials for these things that would hold his interest. Once he grasps these reading materials he may become more interested in reading other genres, including fiction.

I volunteer at our public library and a gentlemen would come in and just look around. I once approached him and asked if I could help and he was completely lost. We got to talking and I found out that he was an avid photographer so I steered him the direction of anything to do with photography and he devoured all the books he could get his hands on. ( He now is an expert on Ansel Adams.) That was a couple of years ago. Now he is part of the library''s weekly reading club.

Sometimes reading along with books on tape may help, comic books, or even following a book with SparkNotes (free online summary notes for most books)to help you understand a book. I sometimes read free books on Google (I recently read Babbitt and My Antonia on Google books) and some of these books have free online audio. Sometimes my DD likes to read a book along with an audio to keep her focused and she downloads these to her mp3 player (She''s currently reading A Tale of Two Cities).
 
The thing is, he doesn't feel intimidated by reading a long book. The man confuses me, I tell you. For YEARS, he was reading Asimov's A Brief History of the World. That book is LONG and heavy! He wasn't bothered at all by the fact that he would read a few pages and then put it down for weeks or months on end. He was just happy that he had read at all, and it didn't bother him that he hadn't made much headway. He felt better for reading a little rather than nothing at all.

My husband is very interested in the classics and historical books, as I've said. I think he thinks the classics will look good on our bookshelf and we can pass them down to our (future) children some day. If he reads a few pages, so be it.

Lulu -- as far as what he watches on TV, he loves Good Eats and Emeril on the Food Network. He also likes watching certain things on the history channel (we just a series of shows about the twin towers). Other than that, he watches South Park, Family Guy, Myth Busters, Private Practice, and Grey's Anatomy (the last two are more for my benefit). He also likes watching comics like George Carlin and a few others whose names escape me.

Dragonfly -- I wondered if he would like The Great Gatsby. Maybe I'll look through it.

HH -- I kind of have been treating him like a kid. : ) When we went to the library, I steered him toward the required reading section for the local high schools. I figured the books there would be shorter but they'd still be interesting without being TEEN books. That's where we found Anne Frank and The Old Man and the Sea. Thanks so much for the suggestion of William Martin. I'm leaving for the bookstore soon, so I'll look for his work.

Soocool -- my husband enjoys traveling (although we don't get to do too much), playing NHL hockey on XBox, and watching football and hockey (although he rarely watches a whole game without flipping channels or playing a game of his own). When he first got his new camera a while back, he was really interested in learning all about it so he read the manual cover to cover.
 
I think it is fantastic he is interested in reading.

King Rat by James Clavell is a book my daughter read in 9th grade. I read it along with her because she really didn't like reading much either. It is about mainly British soldiers in a prisoner of war camp Singapore area during WW2. Burr by Gore Vidal was interesting ( about Aaron Burr . I thought it was very good. Good luck. Hey, my FIL just loves Louis Lamore westerns, icky to me, but I love to see him reading. Too bad he doesn't like sci-fi--lots of choices there. I love those aliens!

It sounds like he really needs something to grab his interest to make it worth his time, so once you find the right author you can just run down the line of his books. A giant book, but one I really liked was Shogun, but it is like 700 pages, but really good. i skimmed through the war part and my husband skimmed through the romancy part, and "so between the two of them they licked the platter clean" which is the story of my marriage.
 
Zoe, I think your hubby and my SO are long-lost twins!

If he''s a big history buff, I''d recommend The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It''s all about the battle at Gettysburg and is the novel upon which the movie "Gettysburg" was based. Shaara did YEARS of research before writing the novel, and the only thing fictional about it is some of the dialog. It''s really amazingly written, and you really find yourself sucked into the lives of the characters. SO loved it, even though it took him about 6 months of on-and-off reading to finish, and has moved on to its sequel The Last Full Measure, but Michael''s son, Jeff, which he also loves.

Best of luck!
 
I would suggest reading the same book he is and then discussing them, gives you something interesting and different to talk about too.

I''d steer him towards historical fiction and biographies.
 
Zoe, if your husband wants to read classics, I have a few suggestions for him. Like the others said, something shorter and easier might be best to start out and I think required high school reading books are just where he should start! Things like To Kill a Mockingbird, Huck Finn, The Crucible, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Rings, are all fantastic to start out with. I agree with you that Shakespeare and Homer are probably a bit tough for someone who doesn''t read much. W Somerset Maugham is one of my favorite authors and all of his books are very easy to read, but still feel enough like classic literature.

Another suggestion are books by the brothers Douglas and Richard Preston. DH looooves these books. Douglas Preston (with his co-writer Lincoln Child) tends to write thrillers and I haven''t read any. Richard Preston''s things are great though and I''ve read a few. He tends to write non-fiction books that are interesting and read like fiction. He has written a book about the founding of the National History Museum in New York (Dinosaurs in the Attic), a book about a Tuscan serial killer that Hannibal Lector is based on (Monster of Florence) and a book about redwood trees and the people who climb them and research them (Wild Trees). Like I said, they''re all written in an easy style and the characters are well written and not dry at all. He actually visits the places he writes about and develops relationships with the people. If your DH likes history and more non-fiction things these may be a great place to start.
 
Hi Zoe

My fiance was also not a reader while I love to read! I just found what he is into and went with it. He is also very much into history and also conspiracy theories so I got books that went along with his interests. The first book I introduced him to was the Davinci Code because he is very much into the history of the Illuminati (whether its fact or fiction is up to you
3.gif
). Since then he has read Angels and Demon and other books (can''t remember names off the top of my head but I''ll check out our library). I recently bought him The Art of Jujitsu because he likes to read the principles and philosophies behind martial arts as well. We''re also starting to read the history of Latin America starting with Chile. I''m not a fan of history too much but I enjoy reading with him and then discussing.

I think you have a good head start knowing what his interests are.
 
The Skystone by Jack Whyte is all about the Romans in Britain in the 5th century. I found it well written and fascinating.
It's all about how they continue on after the collapse of the roman empire.

Do you think he'd enjoy audio books?

The kindle has a feature where it will read the text to you. Maybe he could use that and read along?
 
Let''s see - I adore the required reading section at Borders/B&N. The Giver is a classic, easy to read, but very thought-provoking. 1984 is a favourite, as is The Handmaid''s Tale. Also, Farenheit 451 and Brave New World.

In Cold Blood is interesting if he likes more factual things (it''s true crime, well-written, and very interesting).

If he''s into pirates at all, Under The Black Flag is really interesting (it''s about the myths of pirate life vs. actual pirates), and so is Dangerous Waters (I''m biased since I''m in shipping, but it''s by somebody that lived aboard a container ship and sailed through pirate-inhabited waters - very interesting look at modern piracy). Can you tell I went through a pirate phase?

Oscar Wilde is good to start on - The Portrait of Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest are good, quick reads.

Isaac Asimov is a really good read with plenty to choose from, and his pseudo-memoir is fantastic (A Man Without A Country).
 
I would pick something where the subject would interest him. Once I found a book I truly loved I was hooked. Before that my mom was happy as long even if all I read was a cereal box
5.gif
 
What are your husbands hobbies/interests? Knowing this would help in recommending a specific title.
I did read Pompeii and throughly enjoyed it -a great suggestion.
Also check out Conn Iggulden''s Lord of the Bow series. It''s fiction, and deals with the life of Genghis Khan. I know lots of people that have read and loved this series.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. He might be put off by the size of the book but it''s quite an easy read and full of crazy adventure.
My strongest recommendation in your case is Mutiny on the Bounty - the Kings Shilling. by John Boyne. (that''s one title, not two. He also wrote the Boy in Striped Pyjamas) This is the kind of book you''d look at and think ''Yeah, heard this strory how many times before?" and easily overlook it but it''s a great adventure, told by a ficticious character Jacob Turnstile, Captain Bligh''s cabin boy. An interesting new slant on the story

Good luck.
 
Date: 12/7/2009 11:10:22 AM
Author: elrohwen
Zoe, if your husband wants to read classics, I have a few suggestions for him. Like the others said, something shorter and easier might be best to start out and I think required high school reading books are just where he should start! Things like To Kill a Mockingbird, Huck Finn, The Crucible, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Rings, are all fantastic to start out with. I agree with you that Shakespeare and Homer are probably a bit tough for someone who doesn''t read much. W Somerset Maugham is one of my favorite authors and all of his books are very easy to read, but still feel enough like classic literature.


Another suggestion are books by the brothers Douglas and Richard Preston. DH looooves these books. Douglas Preston (with his co-writer Lincoln Child) tends to write thrillers and I haven''t read any. Richard Preston''s things are great though and I''ve read a few. He tends to write non-fiction books that are interesting and read like fiction. He has written a book about the founding of the National History Museum in New York (Dinosaurs in the Attic), a book about a Tuscan serial killer that Hannibal Lector is based on (Monster of Florence) and a book about redwood trees and the people who climb them and research them (Wild Trees). Like I said, they''re all written in an easy style and the characters are well written and not dry at all. He actually visits the places he writes about and develops relationships with the people. If your DH likes history and more non-fiction things these may be a great place to start.
Click to expand...
I didn''t know D Preston and R Preston were brothers! I love Dinos in the Attic and I love love love me some D. Preston/ L. Child!!!
 
Vc -- can your husband play video games for HOURS on end too? He grew up playing games, and he much rather do that than read for any length of time. But to give him credit, he has developed an interest. My husband thinks it''s "funny" (his word) that my family can be in the same room together, each one of us reading our own thing, and not think anything of it. He thinks it''s "anti-social." I thought he was bored out of his mind the first Christmas he spent with my family and we did just that.
9.gif


HA -- thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate it, and I''ll definitely keep James Clavell in mind.

Vc -- I''ll have to look for the Michael and Jeff Shaara books. Thanks! They sound really good.

Kim -- I thought the same thing. He occasionally talks about having a book club (uh, with just the two of us), and we may do that. Hey, with a bottle of wine, it could be fun! I was thinking about biographies too. I''ll have to look for some ones he might like.

El -- Thanks for the suggestions! I love To Kill a Mockingbird, The Crucible, and Huck Finn. I''ll have to look for Preston''s books. It sounds like my husband would really like them.

Fiery -- OMG, I LOVE your new AV. Sophia is a doll! You know, he did really like the DaVinci Code (the movie), so I''ll suggest the book to him. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions, HopeDream! He may enjoy audio books? His commute isn''t too long, but he could probably get a good start each way (20 minutes or so). We don''t have a kindle, but I could look into it.

Hi Princesss! Thanks for your recommendations! I love The Giver; I hadn''t even thought of that one. You know, I''m not sure if D''s into pirates. I''ll have to check.
 
Thanks Tacori and Klewis!

He likes to travel, learn about historical events, and he likes to learn about how things work and why things happen (I think this is one reason he likes "Mythbusters" so much).
 
Date: 12/7/2009 12:21:49 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk

I didn''t know D Preston and R Preston were brothers! I love Dinos in the Attic and I love love love me some D. Preston/ L. Child!!!
Click to expand...
You should definitely read R Preston''s Wild Trees and Monster of Florence then! Monter of Florence was especially interesting considering the Amanda Knox case - it gives you a lot of insight into the Italian police over the last 50 years or so (hint: they''re pretty corrupt and come up with the strangest conspiracy theories to explain cases). At one point while R Preston was living there and writing, they actually accused him of being involved in the murders, even though the murders started years before he moved to Italy
20.gif
 
Date: 12/7/2009 8:27:30 AM
Author:ZoeBartlett

So I have two questions: 1) Does anyone have any ideas of how I can help and encourage him? 2) Do you have any ideas of books that I should steer him toward? He likes books about history and stories that have factual events as opposed to fictional stories. Some of the books he''s been choosing (The Iliad and The Odyssey, works by Shakespeare) seem too tough and a tad lofty. I don''t want to discourage him though. I''m at a loss.

I''d appreciate any suggestions as to how to help. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Geez, those are some crushing books for a non-reader to attempt-- sounds like he has some sort of ''fear of success'' thing going on! Okay, in all seriousness, if he''s into factual/history, it might be time to source some of those. In addition to the obvious things like biographies (didn''t Gore Vidal do an awesome Lincoln book?), some slightly off yet highly rewarding reads might make sense to slip in there. I''m guessing you''re a voracious reader yourself by your profession, so what are your thoughts on Graham Greene or even Bill Bryson''s travel books? Or if he by nature likes discovering how things work (and uses historical examples) rather than flights of fiction, perhaps some Malcolm Gladwell?


Some specifics to mix in to up the enjoyment factor (and tend to be popular among men too):
--Vidal, Lincoln
--Greene, Our Man In Havana
--Greene, The Quiet American
--Bryson, In a Sunburned Country
--Gladwell, Blink or Outliers or The Tipping Point
--Levitt and Dubner, Freakonomics
 
You should see if he likes "A long way gone". Its a memoir of a boy who was a child solider in a country in Africa (don''t remember which one). Its fascinating (and a bit horrifying but it has a happy ending for him at least) and a really easy read. I''ve gotten hooked on memoirs and non-fiction in the past few years and this is probably my favorite.

My dad who is also not a big reader loved Angels and Demons and The DaVinci code, while still fiction, they do have some base in religious and scientific history.
 
Date: 12/7/2009 12:34:28 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
Thanks Tacori and Klewis!


He likes to travel, learn about historical events, and he likes to learn about how things work and why things happen (I think this is one reason he likes ''Mythbusters'' so much).
Click to expand...

Ha! I was typing out my response before I saw this addition, ZB. Definitely have him check out Gladwell!
 
Date: 12/7/2009 11:57:41 AM
Author: princesss
Let''s see - I adore the required reading section at Borders/B&N. The Giver is a classic, easy to read, but very thought-provoking. 1984 is a favourite, as is The Handmaid''s Tale. Also, Farenheit 451 and Brave New World.


In Cold Blood is interesting if he likes more factual things (it''s true crime, well-written, and very interesting).


If he''s into pirates at all, Under The Black Flag is really interesting (it''s about the myths of pirate life vs. actual pirates), and so is Dangerous Waters (I''m biased since I''m in shipping, but it''s by somebody that lived aboard a container ship and sailed through pirate-inhabited waters - very interesting look at modern piracy). Can you tell I went through a pirate phase?


Oscar Wilde is good to start on - The Portrait of Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest are good, quick reads.


Isaac Asimov is a really good read with plenty to choose from, and his pseudo-memoir is fantastic (A Man Without A Country).
Click to expand...

Ooo these are great suggestions too. "1984", Farenheit 451, and brave new world are all AMAZING. While they aren''t true stories, I think its really interesting to see what certain writers think the world WILL be like in the future. It''s almost like they are their own category between fact and fiction.
 
My hubby is like this as well and it has helped him to read books that movies he has seen were based on because he''s more motivated to finish the book. Then he''ll go and read other books by the same author. That said he really enjoys fantasy and has read all of the Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings books. He also likes short stories since it''s not such a huge commitment to finish.
 
I second "Davinci Code" but I also think he''d like the author James Rollins. I work in a bookstore, and we always get people to read him if they liked Dan Brown.
9.gif
 
Luckily, there are gobs of books illuminating history and recent events. There are books like "Into Thin Air" or "Isaac''s Storm," that are fascinating. Or if he likes food, then "how cooking works" books such as Harold McGee''s books or the easier to read "How to Read a French Fry" he might really get into. Or even something like "Fast Food Nation" that talks about the state of our food supply, but in very readable terms.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top