Shan Wang
Appearances
Radio Atlantic
The Books We Read in High School (Part 2)
I was very, very much impacted by Moby Dick, which I have not read since high school, actually. I read it in ninth grade, and I remember my English teacher had turned it into a sort of big anticipated event that we would be reading this book, and we would all finish. Finishing was the goal. And I remember almost every chapter to this day because of the way we read it. It kind of taught me that...
Radio Atlantic
The Books We Read in High School (Part 2)
some parts of a book could be boring or slow or as buildup for other parts of a book. So I remember a whole chapter about ambergris, which I think is just whale poop. And I remember a chapter about cytology, a chapter about harpoons. And all of that taught me that If you read slowly and if you sort of savor, if you don't rush, the later chapters can be more of a reward.
Radio Atlantic
The Books We Read in High School (Part 2)
It's also that I used to feel that if something was boring to me, that two options were possible. The book was boring or I was bad at reading. And I think this book unlocked for me other possibilities of reading and relating to books. My name is Shan Wang, and I'm a programming director at The Atlantic.