The Art of X-Ray Reading

How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing

By: Roy Peter Clark

Narrated by: Jefferson Mays

Roy Peter Clark, one of America's most influential writing teachers, offers writing lessons we can draw from 25 great texts.

Where do writers learn their best moves? They use a technique that Roy Peter Clark calls X-ray reading, a form of reading that lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made.

In The Art of X-Ray Reading, Clark invites you to don your X-ray reading glasses and join him on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time, from The Great Gatsby to Lolita to The Bluest Eye and many more. Along the way, he shows you how to mine these masterpieces for invaluable writing strategies that you can add to your arsenal and apply in your own writing. Once you've experienced X-ray reading, your writing will never be the same again.

©2016 Roy Peter Clark (P)2016 Hachette Audio

I’ve listened to several writing/reading courses...

This was the best.

Clear. Concise. Great examples.


Dan Janal
Author, “Write Your Book in a Flash”

English Teacher's Friend

Great way to look at texts. I'll be passing some tips on to my students.

Easy to listen to, as well.

Inspired

I rented X Ray from the library and followed along with it. This book is one to be studied and respected, as it provides all the tools you need to write something great!

10/10 would reccomend

orderly, wonderful examples, exaplained in a way that works well with an audio book: often it goes in one ear and out the other, but the structure makes it easier to retain a lot of the material and analysis. the narrator did a great job!

surprisingly fun and informative

What did you love best about The Art of X-Ray Reading?

The excerpts from books I haven't read that are now on my reading list- Clark brought many great passages to my attention! I also did learn to pay closer attention to certain details of good prose as promised by the book. I will give myself permission to slow down and savor good sentences a bit more. Sometimes it seems like good writing and attention to style is overlooked these days and Clark offers a remedy to this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Art of X-Ray Reading?

The chapter in which the author treats Rachel Carson's 'The Sea Around Us.' Gorgeous excerpts, fascinating analysis.

Have you listened to any of Jefferson Mays’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator did a great job. The reading is faithful to the erudite yet fun tone of the book and keeps the listener engaged with a warm, lively tone and energy.
My only quibble is that sometimes the reading is a touch too fast- the format of the book is spaced out with lots of excerpts, lists, and new paragraph headings, but without more of a pause between them it isn't always immediately clear in whose voice the narrator is reading- whether it be the author's or a character or author ffrom a referenced book.

SUPERB NARRATION SHOWS HOW GREAT WORKS WORK.

What made the experience of listening to The Art of X-Ray Reading the most enjoyable?

NARRATOR JEFFERSON MAYS SPOKE THE WORDS AS IF HE HAD FELT, THOUGHT, AND WRITTEN THEM HIMSELF. AND WHAT WORDS THEY WERE! INTELLECTUALLY INCISIVE. EMOTIONALLY MOVING. TRUE TO LIFE. NEVER A DULL. GAVE ME A DEEPER APPRECIATION OF LITERATURE -- BY MEANS AND METHODS OF "X-RAY READING."

Who was your favorite character and why?

"KING LEAR" AND "THE GRAPES OF WRATH" WERE FINALLY BROUGHT HOME TO ME AS NEVER BEFORE. OPENED MY EYES, MY MIND, MY HEART.

What does Jefferson Mays bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

LIFE.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES. AND I DID SO BY SKIPPING TO THE BOOKS I WAS INTERESTED IN. VERY EASY TO SIFT BACK AND FORTH. KINDA LIKE PANNING FOR GOLD AND FINDING NUGGETS APLENTY.

Any additional comments?

DID I FORGET TO MENTION THE AUTHOR, ROY PETER CLARK? I DID?? GOSH. SORRY. BUT I KNOW MR. CLARK WILL UNDERSTAND. HE IS HUMANE. MR. CLARK WON ME OVER IMMEDIATELY WHEN HE DEDICATED HIS BOOK TO HIS TWO BROTHERS WHO ARE CARING FOR HIS 95-YEAR-OLD MOM. BOOKS ARE GREAT. GOTTA HAVE 'EM. BUT MOM IS SINA QUA NON.

So Good I Bought the Print Version

Would you consider the audio edition of The Art of X-Ray Reading to be better than the print version?

I will soon know the answer to this question. I enjoyed the Audible version so much I decided to buy a print version in order to underline and notate key parts.

What other book might you compare The Art of X-Ray Reading to and why?

Eats, Shoots and Leaves although this book is much better than that one.

Which character – as performed by Jefferson Mays – was your favorite?

There are no real characters in this book unless you consider the books chosen to be examined. In that case, my favorite part was the section on Flannery O'Connor, a wonderful short story writer. After hearing that section I was even more impressed by O'Connor's skill.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is a very entertaining book even though it is actually a book about reading in order to improve your writing. Great writing coupled with an excellent narrator have made this a most entertaining book. I appreciate favorite authors even more than before as the nuances of their skill is uncovered.

Entertainin and INsightful

I usually dread the slow traffic around Johannesburg, but I look forward to my daily trips so that I can finish the audio-book. I strongly recommend it for entertainment value and insightful content. Full marks!

Fantastic!

A wealth of information and insight. Interesting, and told with a little humor thrown in. Easy to listen to. Fabulous narration. It made me purchase many of the works he analyzes so I can delve deeper.

A peek inside

So much so engaging - the narrator could have been more engaging and less methodical and clinical