This week’s edition of Slow Digest was written by C21 Graduate Fellow Jamee N. Pritchard
Slow Reading When the Sky is Falling: A Testimony to Dystopian Fiction
When I was younger, I was one of those deep readers who could easily immerse herself in fantastical literary worlds for hours at a time. I read 500-to-600-page books, cover to cover, in one sitting. As an adult, however, technology and the fast pace of academia has severely shortened my attention span. Outside of academic reading, if it’s not 280 characters or less with at least 3 bullet points, I simply cannot focus. Skimming is my superpower, and this way of reading does not translate to the numerous speculative fiction novels that line my bookshelves and deserve the respect of my full attention. To reset my attention span, I’ve started a practice of slow reading dystopian fiction.
What is slow reading?
Slow reading is a practice that involves reading deliberately and with intention, as opposed to reading quickly for the sake of simply finishing a book. Maryanne Wolf, an expert in the science of reading and the author of Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, explains that reading is about discipline and advises adult readers to set aside 20 minutes a day to read in order to train our brains. She also suggests reading at the book’s pace.
How, as a reader, do we know a book’s pace?
Well, the author is typically deliberate in establishing their story’s pacing, especially when it comes to setting up and contextualizing the world that the reader is entering. In The Passage, Justin Cronin spends the first 200 pages of his nearly 800-page novel intricately setting the scene – introducing us to the significant characters and their backstories, the present state of the world, and the reason for its eventual demise. Reading too fast through this first section of the book means not understanding the nuance of the novel and missing key turning points and connections in the story. Each chapter builds on another, entangling the reader in a complex web of deep reflection and immersion into a world where a government experiment goes terribly wrong and destroys the world as we know it.
Slow reading dystopian fiction means being wrapped up in its darkness and despair as its characters try to survive a post-apocalyptic world. Many novels in this genre are best read at a slower pace to fully appreciate the writer’s craft, the world building, the complexity of characters and themes in the story, and the reflection on how these stories are, in fact, cautionary tales of present and future realities.
What is dystopian fiction?
Dystopian fiction is a genre that explores worlds in which society has collapsed, usually due to oppressive, authoritarian governments, environmental calamity, technological control, or disease. It falls under the umbrella of speculative fiction which is inclusive of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other subgenres that depart from realistic interpretations of our lived realities. It serves as a gateway to realms beyond the constraints of the everyday and allows readers a glimpse into alternative realities, distant futures, mythic pasts, and the supernatural.
Dystopian storytelling often centers futures where political, economic, and social structures have deteriorated to the point of creating widespread suffering, inequality, and despair. Resistance, rebellion, and revolution are typically central to these bleak, cautionary tales of realistic societal circumstances (e.g. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins). We might even see zombies and vampires in these realities (e.g. Zone One by Colson Whitehead and The Passage by Justin Cronin).
Classic examples of dystopian fiction include Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Slow Reading When the Sky is Falling
Along with the titles briefly mentioned above, I recommend the novels below for slow reading. Respect the book’s pace and devour every word and sentence to truly absorb the full impact of each novel’s themes and the author’s intentions. Understand not just the surface plot but the deeper implications of the narrative. Take time to enjoy the slow build of anticipation and their dark, atmospheric auras that envelops the story. Immerse yourself in these dystopian and apocalyptic settings and consider how these stories may reflect our own realities.
- The Last Tribe (2015) by Brad Manuel explores the aftermath of a global pandemic where a handful of survivors, who were immune to the disease, must find food, shelter, water, and deal with the sadness of losing family, friends, normalcy and security in their existence. We see the perspective of each character as they contemplate the next steps of their survival. There are no government experiments gone wrong, no ill-will among survivors, and barely any violence in the story. One of my favorite reviews of the book describes it as “Apocalypse Lite – Dystopia for Dummies.” The reviewer explains that there are only two opinions about the book: “On the one hand, there are those who think this is a long winded, nothing happening, extra-innings-baseball, boring, one-star waste of time and, on the other there are the folks who gave this audiobook five, delighted stars for its different, optimistic, blood-and-gore-free take on the end of human society as we know it” (Audible review, 2017). I am in the latter group of audiobook readers and found the 22-hour narrative refreshing in its positive depiction humanity.
- Dawn (1987) by Octavia Butler is the first book in the Xenogenesis trilogy and is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where humanity has been devastated by nuclear war. The story follows Lilith Iyapo who is awakened from a centuries long sleep by an alien species who need her help rebuilding Earth. The novel explores themes of survival, power, consent, and the evolution of humanity. Gender and race are central to this narrative about a Black woman who is tasked with saving the future of humankind.
- The Fifth Season (2015) by N.K. Jemisin is the first book in her Broken Earth trilogy. It is set in a world plagued by constant seismic activity—earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and shifting landscapes. The novel is centered around orogeny, a mysterious and dangerous power that allows certain people, called orogenes, to control seismic energy. Orogenes, however, are feared and oppressed by society because their abilities are seen as dangerous and uncontrollable. When reading this novel, pay attention to the structure of the narrative, as it challenges readers to piece together the story gradually. This story explores social inequality, trauma, and resilience and is a social commentary on issues of race, gender, and power.
- Foundation (1951) by Isaac Asimov is the first book in the Foundation series. Set in a future galactic empire, the novel follows Hari Seldon, a mathematician who develops the theory of psychohistory—a method for predicting the future of large populations. Foreseeing the inevitable fall of the empire, Seldon establishes the Foundation, a group of scientists and intellectuals to preserve knowledge and shorten the period of chaos that will follow the empire’s collapse. The Foundation faces external threats and internal political challenges; overall, the story explores themes of power, knowledge, and the survival of civilization. A television adaptation of this novel was released in 2021 on Apple TV.
- I Am Legend & Other Stories (1954) by Richard Matheson is a post-apocalyptic horror story that follows Robert Neville, the last living man on Earth. By day he is a vampire hunter, and by night he is simply a survivor. The novel inspired The Last Man On Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007) film adaptations.
- Station Eleven (2014) by Emily St. John Mandel is set after a global pandemic wipes out most of humanity. The story weaves together multiple narratives, primarily following Kirsten Raymonde, a young actress in a traveling Shakespearean troupe, and Arthur Leander, a famous actor whose death just before the pandemic marks a key turning point. As the novel shifts between past and present, it explores themes of survival, memory, art, and the interconnectedness of lives. Through its characters’ struggles to rebuild meaning in a fractured world, the novel reflects on the enduring power of culture and human connection in the face of disaster. A television adaptation was created in 2021 by HBO Max.
Slow reading offers us an invitation to slow down in our daily lives. By setting aside just 20 minutes a day to read, we allow ourselves intentional engagement with literature that can change how we view the world. Through the practice of reading slowly, we allow ourselves to fully absorb the intricacies of dystopian worlds and question their implications. This deliberate, reflective pace enables us, as readers, to connect more deeply with the characters’ struggles and the ethical dilemmas they face. In a world increasingly shaped by rapid information consumption and short attention spans, slow reading is an iteration of slow knowing that invites us to reflect more critically on the future we are creating.
Jamee N. Pritchard is a graduate student fellow at the Center for 21st Century Studies and doctoral candidate in African and African Diaspora Studies. Her research focuses on Black women’s writing, Black girls and women as readers of romance and speculative fictions, and popular print cultures.
NPR’s Life Kit: “How to practice ‘deep reading'”
If you are interested in Maryanne Wolf’s work, you can hear more of her thoughts on deep reading on NPR’s Life Kit podcast.
“How to practice ‘deep reading’“ explores the practice of reading with intention amid the disruptions of daily life. Jamee N. Pritchard, who recommends this resource, especially loves the discussion about understanding a book’s pace as a reader, as some books are meant to be read slowly.
Key takeaways from this podcast episode include:
- Reading is supposed to be hard because our brains were not meant to deep read – skimming is its defense mechanism.
- Reduce distractions, go for a paperback novel in lieu of reading on a screen.
- Reading is discipline. Adults should set aside 20 minutes a day to read to train our brains.
- Read at your own pace or the book’s pace. Reading well and reading deeply does not mean reading 500 books a year.
- Write down the thoughts/feelings as you read.