Well Educated Mind

University literature professor Susan Wise Bauer highlights the importance of self-education through the Great Books. She details skills and questions to ask in order to understand the often difficult reading of the past. She also highlights the histories and gives a recommended reading list of 5 genres of books - Fiction, History, Autobiography, Drama, and Poetry.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I was thoroughly impressed by Bauer's work. She has some great points, which will help me in my own reading, whether it be a book from her lists or just a book in general. I quite enjoyed her points about asking ourselves the questions of “so what?” and “what does the author want me to do or believe after reading this?”

I loved learning the histories of the different genres and the historical context within which major authors may have been writing in. That was probably the most important and interesting part to me.

Bauer's writing is enjoyable and sometimes humorous. She did a great job with this work and I will continue to enjoy the quotes and the ways of analyzing texts that she taught.