Overview

"The best-known educator of the twentieth century was a scammer in cashmere. ""The most famous reading teacher in the world,"" as television hosts introduced her, Evelyn Wood had little classroom experience, no degrees in reading instruction, and a background that included a collaboration with the Third Reich. Nevertheless, a nation spooked by Sputnik and panicked by paperwork eagerly embraced her promises of a speed-reading revolution. Journalists, lawmakers and two US presidents lent credibility to Wood's claims of turbocharging reading speeds. A royal-born Wood grad said she'd polished off Moby Dick in three hours; a senator swore he finished one book per lunchtime. Fudging test results and squelching critics, Wood's popularity endured even as science proved that her system taught only skimming, with disastrous effects on comprehension. As apps and online courses attempt to spark a speed-reading revival, this engaging look at Wood's rise from missionary to marketer exposes the pitfalls of wishful thinking."

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9781982692391

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Reviews

Journalist Biederman's coverage of the science of reading and the Wood franchise will enlighten readers at any speed...This is an intriguing and surprising biography of a woman who was once a household name. -- Booklist Journalist Biederman did extensive research on her subject, which shines through in this clear telling...The author convincingly portrays Wood as a fraud who threw off academic critics by embracing politicians' endorsements. A clearly written book, laced with wry humor amid condemnation. -- Library Journal

Author Information

Marcia Biederman has contributed more than 150 articles to the New York Times. She was a staff reporter for Crain's New York Business and her work has appeared in New York magazine, the New York Observer, and Newsday. She is also the author of Popovers and Candlelight: Patricia Murphy and the Rise and Fall of a Restaurant Empire. She lives in New York. Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. Marguerite has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career, and has over four hundred titles to her credit.

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