In his new book, popular author Patrick Shannon examines reading as agency--why reading critically is essential to civic engagement and a healthy democracy. We follow the author on a journey of self discovery as he practices "wide-awake reading" with a variety of everyday texts, from radio programs to legal documents to more traditional books and magazines. Shannon demonstrates how we can and must engage in close reading of the world around us and how teachers, in turn, can help their students make meaning from the information in their lives that often appears to move at warp speed. Reading Wide Awake integrates personal stories, political commentary, and guidance for educators into a fun-to-read book that will resonate with a diverse audience of teachers. Book Features: How to read social objects and events as texts, such as a Little League game, Google Earth, and PieLab. New connections between reading comprehension and the role of reading in society. "Imagining Pedagogy" and "Reading Theory" summary sections in each chapter.