“I am a reader. I am intelligent. I have something worthy to contribute.”

Harriet leads a prison book club where she invites the women to talk about stories and share their stories. Violet is one of the women, a prisoner, reckoning with what she did and why, plus what that means for her now and in the future. 

How to Read a Book is a story about the value of reading and the importance of community. Themes of second chances, forgiveness, loneliness, and friendship make this a wonderful novel. 

I really enjoyed spending time with Harriet and Violet, plus the other characters. This is a sweet novel with lots of booktalk. 

“Harriet loved the stacks—those narrow channels crammed with possibility. She navigated slowly, already hearing the women’s voices, for they loved to read chapters aloud, like plays, taking votes on who took which part. Voting meant something to these women who decided nothing, and Harriet relished offering them a bone of autonomy…”