This Rare Technique Helps You Read Difficult Books

We have all come across difficult read only to be left confused and frustrated.

Sometimes, the words are gibberish and we feel inclined to give up the read, but that is a terrible reading mindset.

SUPERFICIAL READING is a technique that will let you power through difficult books and extract the value you can from them. It also shifts your mindset to make you more confident in challenging yourself.

[saminabil]

Summary:
The technique discussed in the video is about using "superficial reading" to approach difficult books. Instead of getting caught up in trying to understand every detail on the first read, the idea is to start and finish the book without stopping to dwell on what you don't know. Focus on what you do understand and ignore footnotes or commentaries that might distract you. This approach allows you to grasp the main narrative or arguments and gain a basic understanding. Over time, as you reread the book and become a better reader, you'll be able to understand more and appreciate the deeper nuances. The method emphasizes that even a small increase in understanding is valuable and can make challenging books more approachable.

[jen]

I heard a polyglot talk about this same concept with learning a new language. Try not to understand everything completely before advancing onto the next phase of language learning, because the gaps you have in the previous phase get filled in as you continue through the lessons. Makes me think about how the brain takes in, builds, tests, and updates information models. Absolutely fascinating!

[YehorBoiar]

Wow, that is actually great advice that you can apply not only for reading books but also for learning in general. You`re not supposed to learn everything just from your first try, it always takes some time. And also the mention "1% of progress is also progress" is deep. Great video, even though I have no clue what it does in my reccomendations on youtube)

[dheeru]

2:38 - first advice
4:37 - how to apply superficial reading
8:10 - parting advice

[dontaefranklin]

I've been doing this for years. This technique is extremely helpful when reading in different languages. It takes less time to read the book the first time while glossing over the details. And the second time comprehension gets a major boost. This actually is helpful for textbooks as well. You can skim the book first. Then power read through it and only the third time though stop and really try to grasp what it all means. I usually approach any "difficult book" with the mindset of multiple reads or multiple "skims". Then and only after a few passes will i try to really narrow down my focus and focus on filling in the gaps.

[cameronparham]

I started reading adult-level books as a kid around age 10. This is the exact technique I used. Worked very well! Thanks for reminding me.

[zarenaamado]

I have a couple of books that I gave up reading a few pages in because they were absolutely impossible. I will try to use this technique you shared to conquer them one page at a time. I forgot that it is okay to reread a book. The beauty of reading!

[Beachdeathindeath]

Superficial reading is honestly so helpful with books like Ulysses- with the vast amount of inner monologues it’s much easier to keep the thought of ‘he’s just thinking about random stuff’ than to intricacy analyse his writing techniques and allusions

[jowelden]

Simple and effective advice, it's so easy to get overwhelmed and pressured to immediately understand a difficult book but accepting that you can't understand it in the beginning and that it is an ongoing learning process is a very refreshing way of looking at things. Focusing too much on the details does affect the way you look at it from a whole perspective.. kudos to you for sharing this valuable idea!

[thestraightroad]

This is exactly what my son in law and I were discussing the other day. We were talking about That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis, written in 1945. I am 71 and my son in law is 32. We both read this book first in high school and he’s reading it for the second or third time. I’ve read it maybe 4-5 times and the last time was the most impactful! It’s amazing what good books can show one over time.

[kb]

Completely agree! Feels like the actual manifestation of when people say "you lost the plot"... focusing too much on specifics you don't understand or are vague will sidetrack you until you lose the plot and enjoyment (however surface level) of the initial read. Great video

[TomDavidMcCauley]

Whoa, I didn’t even know this was a technique; I just thought it was what reading is. Now I have something helpful to offer when a friend confuses me with “I didn’t get it right away so I quit.” Thanks!

[Mayakran]

This is very helpful, actually, because a while back I suffered a head injury and since then reading has become extremely difficult. Most of it has to do with my eyes skipping over words (TBI’s and eye issues often go hand in hand) and so I was missing chunks of information. I was frustrated at myself for not being able to devote the same amount of attention to what I was reading, but now I see that this doesn’t mean I’m doomed but rather is a genuine approach to starting your reading journey through a book. Thank you! :)

[Amba_Aradam]

That was my experience with Eco's "The Name of the Rose". Maybe not the hardest of books, but full of details that seem so erudite and redundant when what you really want to follow is the main plot, the crime story. Only on my second readthrough I started to notice how they actually build the universe of the novel and how the book is about so much more than the crime itself.
I also like to reread the first chapter of the book after finishing it, it allows you to see the introduction in an entirely different light, and it adds a lot to the reading experience for me. A bit as if you read the book twice.

[keepperspective]

I had a teacher explain this as putting in the shelves in before you stock the bookshelf. The overview or first reading the book is like installing shelves in the second and third read through you get the individual concepts, and you can put them on the shelves and they stick.

Great reminder to give yourself grace for the first read through because the second read through is always better

[shayebytheshore]

What a brilliant video -- and with such intelligent and clear insight! I now realise that I've adopted this style of superficial reading automatically when tackling dense and impenetrable books, precisely because if I didn't I knew I'd never get through them. As you said, you just have to push through it once, and even if you don't understand much, you'll feel empowered by having actually finished the book and more willing to delve into some of its harder ideas.

[SyedAafeen]

I love this style of video. Genuinely felt like I was having a conversation with someone with all the natural pauses in between.

[bakirabaspahic]

I good method that i found while reading books that i want to really analyze or just learn more about, especially big dense difficult books is reading it first without any analysis, and then reread it while taking notes, because you'll have a general idea of the book while rereading it so you won't have the problem of forgetting what happened

[JPsJacket]

Especially with Philosophy, this method is great because you are able to keep the conclusions in mind when you do your deep-dive in the second reading.

[DanielGTaylor]

This is excellent advice. I learned this from Mortimer J. Adler's 'How to Read a Book' and applied it to Plato in the Great Books of the Western World where I'd gotten totally stuck.