Reader’s Block A History of Reading Differences
Reader’s Block: A History of Reading Differences by Matthew Rubery, published by Stanford University Press in 2022, is a thought-provoking examination of how neurodivergence influences reading experiences. This 277-page book invites readers to reconsider the definition of reading by exploring the diverse ways individuals engage with text, particularly those with neurological conditions such as dyslexia, hyperlexia, and dementia. Rubery’s work challenges conventional notions of reading and highlights the varied impacts these conditions have on people’s interactions with written language.
In this alternative history, Rubery draws on a wide array of sources, including personal testimonies from literature, film, and social media, to illustrate the spectrum of reading experiences. He emphasizes that reading is not a singular activity but rather encompasses multiple forms, including those that may not align with traditional expectations. By pushing the boundaries of what constitutes reading, Reader’s Block encourages a broader understanding of literacy that accommodates the experiences of individuals with disabilities and cognitive differences. This edition invites readers to engage with the text in their own unique ways, reinforcing the idea that there is no singular approach to reading.
Official synopsis Publisher
What does the term “reading” mean? Matthew Rubery’s exploration of the influence neurodivergence has on the ways individuals read asks us to consider that there may be no one definition.
This alternative history of reading tells the stories of “atypical” readers and the impact had on their lives by neurological conditions affecting their ability to make sense of the printed word: from dyslexia, hyperlexia, and alexia to synesthesia, hallucinations, and dementia. Rubery’s focus on neurodiversity aims to transform our understanding of the very concept of reading.
Drawing on personal testimonies gathered from literature, film, life writing, social media, medical case studies, and other sources to express how cognitive differences have shaped people’s experiences both on and off the page, Rubery contends that there is no single activity known as reading. Instead, there are multiple ways of reading (and, for that matter, not reading) despite the ease with which we use the term. Pushing us to rethink what it means to read, Reader’s Block moves toward an understanding of reading as a spectrum that is capacious enough to accommodate the full range of activities documented in this fascinating and highly original book.
Read it from cover to cover, out of sequence, or piecemeal. Read it upside down, sideways, or in a mirror. For just as there is no right way to read, there is no right way to read this book. What matters is that you are doing something with it–something that Rubery proposes should be called “reading.”
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