Too many books and too little time. This conundrum worried filmmaker Max Joseph deeply. How could he have time to trudge through the endless sea of books to expand his knowledge? As if the title alone wasn’t enough, our modern age of streaming, 24-hour media and other 24-hour stimuli that demand his undivided attention make his quest even more challenging. He documents his search for solutions in the infectiously entertaining How to Read More Books in the Golden Age of Content.
Is this a time management related question? With the help of a friend, Joseph calculated his reading speed and the amount of time he currently spends on reading activities. Just as people set aside 30 minutes a day for exercise, studies have found that reading just one book each morning with breakfast increases their reading fivefold. Other advice comes from Howard Berg, Guinness World Record holder for fastest reader.
Other intriguing avenues are explored over the course of the short film, including the intimidation factor that comes into play when exposed to dense prose work, the potential to reveal the meaning of life in classical literature, and the habits and accomplished reader.
Along the way, Joseph visits many beautiful bookstores from Brussels to Portugal to New York City. Some shelves are stacked with rows of brightly colored spikes; for avid readers, it’s like an irresistible candy store. Then there are the shops, which offer a more sacred setting to discover your love of books, including a converted church in the Netherlands.
How to Read More in a Golden Age of Content takes a light-hearted tone, but it covers issues with more serious implications. In a world where endless content is produced and consumed like a disposable product, books should occupy a more permanent and sacred space. We just need to recognize their value and commit to exploring their riches.
Directed by: Max Joseph
