Increasing the Value of Nonfiction Reading By Connecting the Dots
When you invest the time to read nonfiction books, it’s important you get as much as you can from the experience. And there’s a way to do it, which increases the value of nonfiction reading for you. It also deepens your understanding of the topic.
Connecting the dots across the books you read alters your reading experience. Steve Jobs once said,
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”
Connecting New Information to What You Know
Choose a nonfiction book you’ve been wanting to read. As you are reading, think about how you can connect the new information to what you already know. Sometimes the connection is by one thread. It could be a theme. Note what you’re feeling as you’re reading. When you finish reading the book, look at the notes from the previously read books you were reminded of.
What do you notice? Are there other connections that you forgot about? You may be surprised by what you learn.
To connect new information to what you know requires reading with intention. And reading and thinking critically. The process deepens your understanding of the text.
