The Lost Art of Reading

** "The Lost Art of Reading" by Gerald Stanley Lee is an essay that examines the growing gap between people today, and the real value of reading with understanding. The essay describes how the fast pace of modern life keeps people from really connecting with books and seeing how reading can change them as people. The author presents a conversation that shows how quickly people move through life, just touching the surface of things, like reading fast without really understanding. The book is critical of this kind of "reading madness," which, according to the author, results in people feeling cut off from themselves and the world around them. The essay highlights the ways that society limits people's ability to think deeply and engage with the world, and it stresses the need for people to rediscover a way of reading that is thoughtful and feeds the soul, encouraging reflection instead of just quickly consuming information. The beginning of the essay introduces the book's theme which is an argument against how education and society prevent people from using their imagination and discovering themselves. **