Proust and the Squid

It took 2,000 years for written language to develop, and it takes 2,000 days for a child's brain to learn to read. During that time, the brain must literally rearrange itself in order to understand written symbols. What happens when a child has difficulty mastering these abilities? Using down-to-earth examples and personal anecdotes, a preeminent researcher and literacy lover embarks on a lively journey through the reading brain. Drawing on her vast knowledge of neurology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and child development, she shows how the brain that read Sumerian cuneiforms on clay tablets is different from the brain that reads images on a computer screen. Just as writing reduced our need for memory, technology is reducing the need for written language -- a change sure to have profound consequences for our future. Fascinating and revelatory for anyone interested in the science of the brain, for parents of young children learning to read, and for those who want to know more about dyslexia. Maryanne Wolf is a professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University, where she holds the John DiBiaggio Chair of Citizenship and Public Service, and is the director of the Center for Reading and Language Research. A former Fulbright Fellow, she has received numerous awards for her distinguished teaching and research, including from the American Psychological Association, International Dyslexia Association, and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and two sons.