“The Risk of Reading: How literature helps us to understand ourselves and the world, especially in this world of digital overload.

“’The Risk of Reading’ is a defense of the idea that deep and close readings of literature can help us to understand ourselves and the world around us,” reads the description on the Amazon site. “It explores some of the meaning and implications of modern life through the deep reading of significant books. Waxler argues that we need ‘fiction’ to give our so-called ‘real life’ meaning and that reading narrative fiction remains crucial to the making of a humane and democratic society.”

In a press release last fall, UMass Dartmouth included these comments on the book:

“‘The Risk of Reading’ is a passionate and provocative account of why literature matters. Waxler provides a practical guide to major works of classic and popular fiction, from Frankenstein to Fight Club, and a powerful and sophisticated argument for the ethical and intellectual value of reading,” said Princeton University Assistant Professor of English Joshua Kotin.

“Robert Waxler’s ‘The Risk of Reading’ makes a persuasive case for the significance of literary reading to human life and understanding. In the first chapter, Waxler argues the value of ‘deep reading’ of literature as a way to journey to new worlds, observing that readers who take the risk also reap the rewards which come from engaging with story and the rich language of narrative. He then guides his readers on a series of journeys through literary works that well illustrate the importance of literature as initiating a deep reading process. In the final chapter, Waxler suggests that the real ‘risk of reading’ lies in the risk of not reading, especially as electronic media beckon,” said Martha C. Pennington, Distinguished Visiting Professor of English, City University of Hong Kong, and Research Fellow in Language and Communication, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.