Tried the "read the last chapter first" trick for a dense nonfiction book and it actually saved me

My book club picked a 400 page book on economic theory last month and I was dreading it. Usually I slog through and retain almost nothing. On a whim I flipped to the final chapter before starting. It gave me the big picture argument and then everything else in the first 12 chapters made way more sense as supporting points. First time I actually finished one of these dense picks early. Anyone else use a weird reading order that helped?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairj551mo ago

Man, I did something similar with a book on behavioral economics last year. I read the conclusion first and it gave me the main point they were trying to prove, then I went back and read the chapters that supported that argument while skipping the ones with examples I already understood. You know what, it cut my reading time in half and I actually remembered the stuff. Might be the only way to get through those doorstop nonfiction books without your eyes glazing over.

mason8471mo ago

Best part is you already know what to skip before your brain checks out completely.