__Read Well. Live Well.__ A Best Book of 2018 in Religion, Publishers Weekly  
  
Acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior takes us on a guided tour through works of great literature, helping us learn to love life, literature, and God through our encounters with great writing.  
  
"Karen Swallow Prior has written several critically acclaimed books, but in my book, her book on books is her best yet. On Reading Well is both a love letter to literature and a handbook on virtue, wisdom, and the good life. Bound to be a classic, it is an engrossing work that will appeal to book nerds and casual readers alike. Read it now, and you'll never take books for granted again."  
--__Jonathan Merritt__, contributor to The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch  
  
"On Reading Well is an exploration of the formative power of stories and an excavation of the life well lived, and we could scarcely have a better guide than Karen Swallow Prior. She is a person who loves (and has been shaped by) great books and who loves (and has been shaped by) the richness of Scripture, a scholar whose writing exudes both warmth and conviction. This story-saturated engagement with the virtues is pragmatic enough to touch the nitty-gritty of our lives and imaginative enough to inspire."  
--__Tish Harrison Warren__, priest in the Anglican Church of North America; author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life  
  
"It sure seems like virtue is needed now more than ever. And what a treasure trove we have for encountering virtue in literature! Prior is a lovely and wise guide. Take this resplendent tour--read this book! Your life will be better for it."  
--__Kathryn Jean Lopez__, senior fellow and director of the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society, National Review Institute; editor-at-large, National Review  
  
"You might not think yourself to be the kind of person to read a book about reading books. If you are trying to love people, to work well, to find meaning in your life, this book is for you. Prior guides us through the big questions from great books with wisdom, insight, creativity, and compassion. A significant and powerful work that will refocus discussion on the meaning of reading for spiritual formation."  
--__Russell Moore__, public theologian at Christianity Today and director of Christianity Today's Public Theology Project  
  
"\[A\] lively treatise on building character through books. . . . With exquisite writing, \[Prior\] demonstrates how 'reading literature, more than informing us, forms us.'"--__Publishers Weekly (starred review)__

__Karen Swallow Prior__ (PhD, SUNY Buffalo) is research professor of English and Christianity &amp; Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. She is the author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More--Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist. Prior has written for Christianity Today, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, First Things, Vox, Think Christian, and The Gospel Coalition. She is a senior fellow with the Trinity Forum and a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Humane Society of the United States.

"In a world dominated by tweets and texts, hot takes and sound bites, the call to read and to read well couldn't be more timely, especially for the people of God. I can't think of a better person than Karen Swallow Prior to relay this important word. She is full of the same wisdom and virtue that she argues great literature can cultivate in us all."  
\--__Matt Chandler__, president of Acts 29 and lead pastor of The Village Church in DFW  
  
"It is not enough to read widely, Karen Swallow Prior says in her thought-provoking new collection. We must also read well--and thankfully Karen takes her reader by the hand and patiently reveals how a close (and enjoyable!) reading of literary works ranging from Jane Austen to George Saunders can pull us toward the good life. This illuminating literary overview prompts us to examine more deeply the books we know and love, and to reexamine our own hearts and minds through the lens of great books."  
\--__Anne Bogel__, author of I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life  
  
"Prior is the English professor most of us never had. Few teachers are this clear, compelling, and Christ centered! In these accessible pages the hard work of reading virtuously begins to feel both attractive and attainable. Read this book carefully--ideally over several months, with the literature close at hand, and perhaps with a friend--and you'll have the opportunity not only to mature as a careful reader but to grow in grace and virtue."  
\--__Justin Taylor__, blogger, The Gospel Coalition; editor, ESV Study Bible

__★ Publishers Weekly starred review  
A Best Book of 2018 in Religion, Publishers Weekly__  
  
Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue, says acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior. In this book, she takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life.  
  
Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection questions geared toward book club discussions, original artwork throughout, and a foreword by Leland Ryken. The hardcover edition was named a Best Book of 2018 in Religion by Publishers Weekly.  
  
"\[A\] lively treatise on building character through books.'"--__Publishers Weekly__ (starred review)

An acclaimed author helps readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing.

__Contents__ Foreword by Leland Ryken  
Introduction: Read Well, Live Well  
__Part One: The Cardinal Virtues__ 1. Prudence: The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding  
2. Temperance: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  
3. Justice: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens  
4. Courage: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain  
__Part Two: The Theological Virtues__ 5. Faith: Silence by Shusaku Endo  
6. Hope: The Road by Cormac McCarthy  
7. Love: The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy  
__Part Three: The Heavenly Virtues__ 8. Chastity: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton  
9. Diligence: Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan  
10. Patience: Persuasion by Jane Austen  
11. Kindness: "Tenth of December" by George Saunders  
12. Humility: "Revelation" and "Everything That Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor  
Discussion Questions

Swallow Prior, Karen

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Foreword

Introduction

Part One: The Cardinal Virtues

Chapter One: Prudence

Chapter Two: Temperance

Chapter Three: Justice

Chapter Four: Courage

Part Two: The Theological Virtues

Chapter Five: Faith

Chapter Six: Hope

Chapter Seven: Love

Part Three: The Heavenly Virtues

Chapter Eight: Chastity

Chapter Nine: Diligence

Chapter Ten: Patience

Chapter Eleven: Kindness

Chapter Twelve: Humility

Acknowledgments

Discussion Questions

Notes

Back Cover

★ Publishers Weekly starred review  
A Best Book of 2018 in Religion, Publishers Weekly  
  
Reading great literature well has the power to cultivate virtue, says acclaimed author Karen Swallow Prior. In this book, she takes readers on a guided tour through works of great literature both ancient and modern, exploring twelve virtues that philosophers and theologians throughout history have identified as most essential for good character and the good life.  
  
Covering authors from Henry Fielding to Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen to George Saunders, and Flannery O'Connor to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Prior explores some of the most compelling universal themes found in the pages of classic books, helping readers learn to love life, literature, and God through their encounters with great writing. The book includes end-of-chapter reflection questions geared toward book club discussions, original artwork throughout, and a foreword by Leland Ryken. The hardcover edition was named a Best Book of 2018 in Religion by Publishers Weekly.  
  
"\[A\] lively treatise on building character through books.'"--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Foreword by Leland Ryken  
Introduction: Read Well, Live Well  
Part One: The Cardinal Virtues  
1\. Prudence: The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding  
2\. Temperance: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  
3\. Justice: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens  
4\. Courage: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain  
Part Two: The Theological Virtues  
5\. Faith: Silence by Shusaku Endo  
6\. Hope: The Road by Cormac McCarthy  
7\. Love: The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy  
Part Three: The Heavenly Virtues  
8\. Chastity: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton  
9\. Diligence: Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan  
10\. Patience: Persuasion by Jane Austen  
11\. Kindness: "Tenth of December" by George Saunders  
12\. Humility: "Revelation" and "Everything That Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor  
Discussion Questions

  
"Karen Swallow Prior has written several critically acclaimed books, but in my book, her book on books is her best yet. On Reading Well is both a love letter to literature and a handbook on virtue, wisdom, and the good life. Each chapter delights, instructs, surprises, and captivates. Bound to be a classic, On Reading Well is an engrossing work that will appeal to book nerds and casual readers alike. Read it now, and you'll never take books for granted again." - Jonathan Merritt, contributor to the Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch

"On Reading Well is an exploration of the formative power of stories and an excavation of the life well lived, and we could scarcely have a better guide than Karen Swallow Prior. She is a person who loves (and has been shaped by) great books and who loves (and has been shaped by) the richness of Scripture, a scholar whose writing exudes both warmth and conviction. This story-saturated engagement with the virtues is pragmatic enough to touch the nitty-gritty of our lives and imaginative enough to inspire." - Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the Anglican Church of North America; author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

"It sure seems like virtue is needed now more than ever. And what a treasure trove we have for encountering virtue in literature! Karen Swallow Prior is a lovely and wise guide. Take this resplendent tour--read this book! Your life will be better for it. The world will be enriched for your yes and receptivity to it. Thanks to Prior for using her beautiful talents to help us live as we were made to." - Kathryn Jean Lopez, senior fellow and director of the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society, National Review Institute; editor-at-large, National Review

"You might not think yourself to be the kind of person to read a book about reading books. If you are trying to love people, to work well, to find meaning in your life, this book is for you. Karen Swallow Prior guides us through the big questions from great books with wisdom, insight, creativity, and compassion. Whether you are a wizened literary scholar who can lecture through the canon or someone who only pretended to read Shakespeare in college and couldn't tell the difference between Dostoevsky and David Foster Wallace, you should read this book. This is a significant and powerful work that will refocus discussion on the meaning of reading for spiritual formation." - Russell Moore, president, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

"In a world dominated by tweets and texts, hot takes and sound bites, the call to read and to read well couldn't be more timely, especially for the people of God. I can't think of a better person than Karen Swallow Prior to relay this important word. She is full of the same wisdom and virtue that she argues great literature can cultivate in us all." - Matt Chandler, president of Acts 29 and lead pastor of The Village Church in DFW

"It is not enough to read widely, Karen Swallow Prior says in her thought-provoking new collection. We must also read well--and thankfully Karen takes her reader by the hand and patiently reveals how a close (and enjoyable!) reading of literary works ranging from Jane Austen to George Saunders can pull us toward the good life. This illuminating literary overview prompts us to examine more deeply the books we know and love, and to reexamine our own hearts and minds through the lens of great books." - Anne Bogel, author of I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

"Karen Swallow Prior is the English professor most of us never had. Few teachers are this clear, compelling, and Christ centered! In these accessible pages the hard work of reading virtuously begins to feel both attractive and attainable. Read this book carefully--ideally over several months, with the literature close at hand, and perhaps with a friend--and you'll have the opportunity not only to mature as a careful reader but to grow in grace and virtue." - Justin Taylor, blogger, The Gospel Coalition; editor, ESV Study Bible

On Reading Well

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