Why should we read book summaries?

We know that reading a book can be very advantageous and whenever I see an interesting book at a store, I think of reading it. But that thought stays only for a few seconds because I am, like most young adults these days, intimidated by the sheer length of the book. Obviously, there are various ways to deal with this problem, one of them being “reading book summaries”. I always tend to read book summaries of it from various sources. However, I have always asked myself this one simple question, “Is reading a book summary really worth it?” Let’s find out the answer to this question.

Pros of Reading Book Summaries

There are a few pros and cons of reading book summaries, let’s discuss the pros first which will also answer our question- “Why should we read book summaries?”.

Read on the go: Book summaries are super convenient to read when you’re on move. Whether you are travelling or waiting for your date to arrive, you can read the book summary whenever and wherever you wish.

Fewer words, more understanding: Most of the book summaries are pretty short, say 1000- 1500 words at the max. But within those few words, the meaning or the gist of the entire book is well acknowledged.

Provides you with basic knowledge: This can be a pro as well as a con. You can obtain a basic understanding of the purpose and value of a book by reading its summary.

Helps you identify your favourite genre: In case you are not a reader and want to start reading, then we will suggest you read book summaries from different genres. This will help you figure out your area of interest and then you can precede with reading the actual book.

Saves your money: It is common for us to buy a book just because we like the title, but once we have purchased it and started reading it, we realize that this is not the book for us. To save yourself some money, read the book summary first. If the book summary interests you, then buy the actual book.

Cons of Reading Book Summaries

There are always some advantages and limitations that come with activity and of course, we have that too in the book summary. Let’s go through some cons as well-

Not all information is provided: A book is an amalgamation of various pages filled with instances and examples. A book summary can never fully captures the words written by the author. To understand the full perspective of the author and the meaning of the book, one needs to read the entire thing and not just the summary.

Quick judgement: The book summaries will always have a conclusion that may or may not be correct. Book summaries can be great for understanding the basic concept but never judge a book’s depth by just reading a summary.

Emotions can’t be understood: True emotions in every sentence of every book can only be understood through the language written by the author. Summaries cannot do justice to the emotions and sentiments through which the book has been written.

Our Verdict

An overview of a book can be found in its summary, but it does not provide insight into the book. Millennials have a difficult time reading thick books because they are more focused on obtaining shredded information than assimilating it all. Some people prefer to read the summary of any book rather than go through it completely because it might be boring and laborious to read a good book. Whether you’re reading an academic book or a book simply for pleasure, this is true in every case.

It’s almost like living a book while you’re reading it. There are many instances in that book that you go through. If you’ve gone through the lessons of Think and Grow Rich, you’ve experienced them all. You know what principles to live by if you have read Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

Here are a few points to summarize the above paragraphs-

• Book summaries do not act as book replacements. Reading a book will always be more engaging than reading a summary.
• By reading a book summary you can easily decide if you wish to invest your time in reading the entire book or not.
• Reading a book summary can be a quick revision if you have already read the book.
• We always promote our readers to buy and read book summaries.