Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've tried a number of different speed reading materials lately in hopes of improving my reading rate and comprehension. I had high hopes for this book based on the number of positive reviews, but it turned out to be the least useful for me.
This book is not a structured course but more like a collection of tips and techniques. For example: Most speed reading resources instruct you to use a pacer as you read. In this book, the author gives 13 different variations of using your hand or a card as a pacer and tells you, "it's your job to figure out which ones work best." Surely as an expert in speed reading the author could offer better direction as to which method is most effective.
I did not find the material to be well organized. The topic on evaluating your current reading habits doesn't appear until Chapter 6 (shouldn't that be in Chapter 1?), and the section covering common bad reading habits doesn't appear until Chapter 13. "Calculating Your Reading Speed" is the last appendix in the book.
There is too much superfluous information vs. actual speed-reading techniques. There are sections on "Calming the Body and Mind," "Better Blogging," and two full chapters on "Overload Management" with advice like weeding magazines out of your collection you don't plan to read and clipping newspaper articles you want to read again. However, the section on subvocalization (sounding out words in your head while reading--a problem covered in every speed reading resource I've seen) is less than 2 pages long and offers no real advice on how to eliminate it.
There is about 40 pages of practice material in the back of the book consisting of several non-fiction articles. At the beginning of each article is the average number of words per line. I don't know why they couldn't simply put a running word count in the margin to keep you from tediously having to count each line when you're done with a timed test.
One other thing I want to point out: One of the pacer variations involves pointing your index and pinkie fingers out and holding your two middle fingers back towards your palm with your thumb. The author dubs this "The Vulcan" because she saw it used on Star Trek. At the risk of sounding too picky (or too geeky), this is NOT the "live long and prosper" hand gesture used on Star Trek. It makes me wonder if the author's own comprehension and memory skills are all that keen.
In the end I felt this book had too much non-essential material, and the actual techniques for increasing your reading speed and comprehension were not covered well enough. A better book is Speed Reading for Professionals (Barron's Business Success Guides); it's probably about 1/4 the size of The Complete Idiot's Guide but much more effective in my opinion.
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Product Description:
On your marks, get set, read!
Most adults today are working with antiquated skills and ingrained beliefs about their reading abilities, or lack thereof. But with the tips and examples offered in The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Speed Reading, getting through a load of must-do reading doesn't have to be an arduous or overwhelming chore. The strategies are surprisingly simple once revealed. With practice, readers will not only speed through and understand books, articles, and professional journals but will also build their personal reading confidence and competence.
- Written by a reading specialist
- Useful for students, business people, lawyers, doctors
- Includes how-to strategies as well as practice timed readings
- Tips for reading on paper and onscreen
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