Reading Circles, Novels and Adult Reading Development

This lively and engaged book invites us to look at reading in a different way, moving us beyond the tired old divisions between literacy and literature that have so bedevilled adult education. In doing so, it offers a new take on the idea of reading for pleasure, gathering up the dimensions of reading that are an indispensable part of all acts of reading: cognitive, imaginative, affective, educational and communicative. It includes a useful overview of the wide range of theoretical approaches to reading and challenges the idea that some kinds of reading are "functional" whereas others are "frivolous and non-essential". Writtenby an adult literacy expert, it suggests that reading researchers need to talk to readers themselves about their experiences and ideas about reading. It goeson to present the many insights that resulted from asking emerging adult readers the question "What does reading mean to you?" It also details the long and fascinating history of reading circles and advocates them as a potential pedagogy for adult literacy - a pedagogy that builds on a common reading practice, and which combines the pleasures and politics of novel reading with the sensibilities of adult literacy teaching. Mary Hamilton, Professor of Adult Learning and Literacy, Lancaster University, UK This book is well-written and engaging. Most importantly, it addresses reading circles, an area of adult literacy about which we know little. Hopefully it will stimulate additional interest in the area. Hal Beder, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University, USA An original, wide-ranging and thoughtful account of a phenomenon that is rarely researched. Sam Duncan provides a clear account of her research embedded within a scholarly account of the social history of reading that will be of interest to teachers of adult literacy, students of reading, researchers, teachers and those with a general interest in the culture of reading in the 21st Century. The strength of this book is the clarity of its writing and the accessibility of the discussion, as well as its scholarly reach. The imaginative space of the reader is evoked through original research into adult literacy students who love to read. Duncan's argument that an historical understanding of adult literacy and of reading can broaden what it is to read and to write is vital in broadening our understanding of contemporary readinghabits... The book also argues for the importance of reading for pleasure for all adults. As Duncan argues, "literacy is at once functional and metaphysical, individual and communal, transformative and transfiguring." This vision for the potential of literacy can help us re-consider the sometimes utilitarian accounts of literacy presented in schools and college settings and instead offer a vision for literacy that is concerned with transformation and social empowerment. Kate Pahl, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Sheffield, UK Adults just starting on their reading journey have so much to tell researchers and tutors. This thoughtful book captures their insights and puts the vital link between adult literacy learning and reading group activity in a rich historical context. Genevieve Clarke, The Reading Agency, UK