Fastest Reader In The World?
Dec 8, 2009 General
There are plenty of people out there who would like to improve their reading speed, and for those of you into superfast reading a quick Google search will turn up any number of speed-reading courses of no doubt variable quality. There’s more than one speed-reading method out there, as Wikipedia outlines, and the current world champion is Anne Jones, who set a new record by reading the final Harry Potter book in 47 minutes. If you think you can do better than that, there’s even a competitive side to it – according to the World Speed Reading Council, it’s one of five Learning Mind Sports showcased regularly by the international Festival of the Mind.
What do you think – useful skill, or largely a bit of a gimmick?
December 9th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
On the surface, It looks like an undoubtedly useful skill… If I could read a book an hour then I’s have far more chance of getting through my uni reading lists. However, I suspect that it doesn’t actually work like that. I mean, do people enjoy reading at that speed or it it a huge mental effort? Do they comprehend and retain what they are reading? Oh and finally… is it real? I mean, I can’t imagine it actually being possibe to read Harry Potter in 47 minutes. Increasing your reading speed is one thing but how can we be sure that Anne Jones didn’t manage to get hold of a copy of Harry Potter before its release?
February 18th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Im 10 but i can read harry potter and the order of thr phoenix in half an hour