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In the print versus digital divide Book Was There by Andrew Piper is the voice of reason. He is interested in examining the relationship between books and screens, in identifying the fundamental differences as well as their similarities. Piper asks us
to remember the diversity that surrounds reading and the manifold, and sometimes strange, tools upon which is has historically been based. The question is not one of ‘versus,’ of two single antagonists squaring off in a ring; rather, the question is far more ecological in nature. How will these two very different species and their many varieties coexist within the greater ecosystem known as reading?
Through seven chapters Piper examines various aspects of reading books in print and on a screen. He looks at the physical nature of the book and how we respond to it. And he discuses how digital books are trickier because we don’t ever see the book. We only see the device and the words appear on a screen. Where the book opens and invites us in, the screen keeps us out.
Another chapter examines the act of looking. When we read a book we see the words on the page but we are looking beyond the words and through the book. Screens, on the other hand, encourage us to look on as voyeurs. Instead of being a window we look through, a screen often becomes a “metalabyrinth of mutual regard.” Still another chapter is about the page and what the page of a book does and how it affects the way we read in contrast to a “page” on a screen.
There is also a chapter on making notes and annotations and here Piper provides the best explanation about why handwriting is important that I have ever come across. Writing and reading are intimately connected. When we write with our hands we are also learning to draw and when we learn to draw we are also learning to “think more complexly with words.” Research finds that children who learn how to draw before they write tend to produce more complex words and sentences. Drawing helps pull together all sorts of information in the brain, it is a way to think and analyze. Drawing and writing together add a whole new way of being able to think. Not to mention that the physical act of writing something by hand, say copying a passage from a book, helps us internalize and remember what we have written better than if we had just typed it.
Piper also has a chapter on sharing, one on reading and our relationship to the spaces we read in, and one on the connection between reading and mathematics.
There are lots of interesting ideas in Book Was There, some I agreed with and some I did not. Sometimes I found myself wondering what the point was Piper was trying to make and other times I wanted to shout, “yes! that’s exactly right!” I am tempted to go through each chapter and mark out his arguments for you so we can “talk” about them all but then we would be here forever and some of the arguments are too detailed and complex to do justice to here.
Piper clearly loves books but he also finds the digital has much to offer. He isn’t entirely sure that some of our digital text encounters can really be called reading any longer but he believes we should not be bothered by that. He thinks we should put down our books now and then and do some digital exploring. But he also warns against computers becoming the new book. We need both, he says, because they each foster different ways of thinking and seeing the world and the more ways we have to think, communicate and explore, the better. That’s something I think most of us can agree with.
Piper’s claim that drawing increases word complexity in children interests me. Two questions:
How reliable is the evidence and does it persist into later years?
Does he clarify the relationship between drawing and handwriting?
It would be interesting to explore the relationship between word complexity in well-known, highly regarded writers, and their ability to draw.
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An interesting book by the sound of it. I wonder what will happen to the experience of being read to in childhood with Ebooks and Ipads rather than physical books. Somehow it seems that the experience just can’t be as rich but then nostalgia can be a wonderful thing!
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Ian, it is an interesting book, a fresh way of looking at print and digital. Piper has two kids and he reads to them every night and they use print books. He says using an iPad is just not the same. I somehow suspect that most parents who read to their children do so with print books. I can’t confirm that but even a few techie friends with children I know read books. Still, I am sure those who are read to on iPads have a somewhat different experience. I don’t know that it is better or worse, just different. Time will tell!
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Richard, it’s and interesting connection, isn’t it? He says something about how when we are learning to write by hand it is akin to drawing and the same parts of our brains are activated. Once we have mastered writing though a different part of our brain is activated though it seems to have some overlap with the drawing part. He doesn’t mention about later years. Piper is pretty good with his citations so I will check for you on where he might have gotten the information and send you an email. I probably won’t get to that until Monday though so hold tight 🙂
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I am holding for dear life.
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Hallelujah! I do so love the sensible approach, and this book sounds interesting because of all the different ideas he is exploring. Very intriguing about handwriting. I am sure I have mentioned before that students having trouble writing essays did much better if they handwrote notes, plans, ideas, even parts of the essay. I didn’t know why this might be, but that’s a very plausible explanation!
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Litlove, I know! It’s really nice to have a sensible approach at last. Some of his explorations hit the mark and others don’t quite make it but overall it is a pretty interesting book. Even though I have gotten pretty good at writing on a screen, when I get stuck I always turn to pen and paper. I think part of why it works is that it forces you to slow down and think, always a good thing!
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From a strictly personal experience POV, I agree that writing something helps me remember it. But, years ago I typed out manuscripts and some passages from them I still remember, seemingly word for word. So I’m not sure if it wasn’t something other than the physical act of pen to paper; after all, I was still using my hands by typing.
As for the book drawing you in and the screen locking you out: that sounds like pure BS to me. What does that even mean? I read lots of books on my iPad, most of them downloaded from the library. I don’t know why, but I seem to read faster on the ipad, but I don’t know that the quality of my reading is any different. I think it is because the lighting is more consistent, as is the weight.
Just finished a book about the “lost” art of handwriting. Much of it was also in the school of “civilization is threatened; what will happen to these kids”. I think much of it was bunk. I should review it on my blog at some point in the near future. Then again, I have terrible handwriting and am perfectly OK with nobody seeing it. 🙂
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Camille, there should be a disclaimer, right? “your experience may vary.” Which is fair because not everyone will have the same experience. Like with the page and the screen. I disagree with Piper about the screen locking you out as well. I’ve read many books on my Kindle and have not had that experience. Was the book you just read on handwriting by any chance The Missing Ink by Philip Hensher? I’m in line for it at the library. I don’t expect it to be really good but I hope it isn’t really bad.
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Yes, Hensher’s book. I was really put off by his tone. Some of his comments seemed inappropriate, biased, and in one case, homophobic. As I read on, I decided the tone was meant to be sarcastic, but I still didn’t find it very funny. The book wasn’t very good, but it wasn’t horrible. I found some interesting things in it, but it was a bit tiresome in parts. I only finished it because I’m trying to give things a chance instead of abandoning them this year. Likely, had I read this in a few weeks, my resolve would have been broken & I wouldn’t have read past chapter three.
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Finally someone who looks at the two forms in a way that acknowledges the two can coexist and both have something to offer! If all such arguments were so well reasoned the idea of one over the other would be so less antagonistic! I had no idea that learning to draw before writing was so beneficial–it’s interesting the way the brain develops–I wouldn’t mind reading more about that subject.
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Danielle, it’s nice for once, isn’t it? No tech evangelism or doom and gloom declaring the book is dead. I’ve never heard about the learning to draw bit either. It makes sense though to think of handwriting as a kind of drawing.
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