How to Read a Book is a charming read with endearing characters. Harriet, one of the protagonists, is a 60ish woman who volunteers her time to facilitate a book club for incarcerated women. She has a burning desire to inspire the prisoners to find themselves in the characters of novels and, eventually, in poetry. Harriet is a retired English teacher, a widow, and lonely. She shares much about her personal life with the women in the book club, which violates several volunteer rules. Still, she rationalizes her behavior by citing the relationships she builds and the love of reading she fosters among the criminals. Her niece, Sophie, is quick to point out that Harriet is making herself vulnerable and naive about the serious crimes that the book club women have committed.
Violet, the other protagonist, one of the prisoners serving time for vehicular manslaughter and a book club member, is released early in the story. After realizing her family disowned her, she runs into Harriet at the bookstore. Despite Sophie’s warnings, Harriet becomes a mother figure to Violet and helps her with the transition back to life “on the outs,” outside of prison. Violet’s love of reading and ability to learn lessons from fictional characters and poetry create a bond between her and Harriet that is mutually beneficial.
Of course, there must be a conflict in developing the plot, and Monica Wood includes Frank, who is the man who was widowed because of the car accident that Violet caused as a drunk driver. Violet also ran into him at the bookstore as he was trying to get Harriet’s attention, and he eventually did. The interactions among the characters are easy to follow and relatable, and it is a joy to witness Violet’s growth as she develops intergenerational relationships, gets a job with a university bird researcher, and eventually becomes a respectable woman and citizen.
The characters force the reader to consider forgiveness and how difficult it is for some to forgive, while others have the capacity to move on with their lives after tragedies. Other human emotions, such as grief, pity, and empathy, are also displayed among the characters. Additionally, we learn a great deal through the animal research in the lab where Violet ends up working. Misha, the researcher, is teaching parrots tasks considered basic to human cognitive development: object labeling, distinguishing attributes, and object permanence. He is attempting to complete his tasks while downplaying certain psychological aspects of the connections between animals and humans. In short, he tries to separate emotion from cognition. Misha’s behavior and character contrast with Harriet’s desire to teach her students to see fictional characters as fellow creatures and grow from recognizing the relationship between feelings and knowledge.
This novel delves into intriguing societal dilemmas, such as whether correctional facilities can change behavior and who the true heroes are in our communities. Books are used as a backup to reinforce the significance of every person’s story. Birds, specifically parrots, figure prominently in the plot and symbolism of the story. The birds in the story knew who had an affinity for them and understood concepts and expectations better than some of the human characters.
