*Recovering the Lost Art of Reading by Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes

Recovering the Lost Art of Reading invites readers to reconsider how and why they read; it offers ideas and suggestions for Christians who want to read for the true, the good, and the beautiful.

*Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful by Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes. Crossway, 2021. 304 pages.

Reading Level: Adult, ages 16 and up

Recommended For: Teens and Adults, ages 14 and up

Who should care more about reading timeless truths than children of the Book? If we … have forgotten how to read, we’ve lost more than delight in literary treasures. We’ve lost the ability to read the Bible consistently and attentively.

Ryken and Mathes, Introduction

A book about “recovering the lost art of reading” might be preaching to the choir for the readers of this website, but Recovering the Lost Art of Reading is, nonetheless, a good resource—even for those who consider themselves “readers” already. The “reading” in this book refers to “artful reading,” the practice of intentionally reading and seeking the good, the true, and the beautiful. Reading is more than decoding, than finding symbols and recognizing tropes for your English class. Ryken and Mathes do offer help in reading for English class-type reading; chapters on distinct genres and formats offer tips on what defines those categories and how to read them. But the authors go further and urge readers to consider the ideas in books, to read the Bible as literature, and even to nurture their spiritual lives through reading. Reading poetry, for instance, is a tremendous aid to our spiritual lives!

Recovering the Lost Art of Reading tackles too many topics, issues, and inspirational ideas to truly do justice to all of them. That being said, this is a lovely book that invites readers to consider how they read and why. It’s not a difficult read, and it may be just the nudge some need to rediscover their delight in reading a story to their children “just because.” It may offer a homeschool mom about to dive into middle or high school English class with her children a refresher on how to find plot in a novel or how to read a poem. Most importantly, it reminds Christians why we do need to be readers, not merely able to decode words, but to read artfully, with an eye to truth, goodness, and beauty.

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 5 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here. *indicates a starred review

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: Echoes of Eden by Jerram Barrs (an excellent example of reading books as a Christian)
• A Resource: Browse all our “Literary Nightstand” books
• A Reflection: “Make Your Own Life Bigger” by Gladys Hunt (part of our “Hive” series)

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