/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.11418185]

Hey /lit/ I have ADHD and I literally can't read books.
I get bored after I finish the first chapter, and then I have to force myself to continue reading the book, and it takes a LOT of force to do that.
It's really not enjoyable.
Because of this, I have only ever really read a few books in my entire life and it took a lot of effort to sit through every single one of there.
However, I have read the summaries and metadata to a huge number of books and ideas.
And I'm certain I understand them at a truly deep level - without reading them.
Much more than most people who just read it superficially and don't really think about it.
It's at a point where I held book presentations in high school about books I didn't read and everyone was convinced that I did.
I'm 22 now, and I will finish my Master's degree in Applied Mathematics this year. After that, I'm probably going to go into AI research thus I am not really dependent on reading literature for my career, I have no problem with scientific papers from my field.
(Before you ask, I had a lot of problems with listening to classes in Uni but I managed to work around that by learning from scripts. I can and did learn the content of a script for a passing grade in 1-2 days of half distracted learning)

So my question is, what do I miss from literature?
There are a lot of books I would like to be able to read but "can't", it's sad.
Is reading about books and summaries actually good enough, or is there important content that I will just never have access to like that?
Is there a way for me to read books despite ADHD?
Any Ideas or suggestions are welcome.

[Anonymous No.11418210]

>>11418185
So how can you study mathematics so well that you are receiving a Master’s Degree but you have a problem with subjectively analyzing a book?

[Anonymous No.11418212]

>>11418185
dude i have ADHD and i at least read a book a month.
If it's really that hard pop some concerta or adderall

[Anonymous No.11418221]

>>11418185
Uh.

>>11418185
Uhhhh


>>11418185
Mmmmm, right. Why can't you just pop your Addy meds and curl up with a book?

> am I missing anything
Well, you don't know what you don't know, right?

I assume you want to become well-read for a type of wholistic fulfillment? If some books rub you the wrong way and don't keep your demanding, meandering attention; why not find some that do?

Damned if I do. Damned if I don't.

[Anonymous No.11418223]

>>11418185

[Anonymous No.11418247]

>>11418185
If you felt like you were getting everything out of summaries and metadata, you wouldn't be asking this question.

I am also a STEMfag. I noticed myself with humanities that original texts contain many nuances and subtleties that summaries just won't have, also you will find more enjoyment in reading essays on the topics post-reading because of different takes/interpretations/dissection of layers/subtext. This deepens the understanding because it involves your own thinking. Also it's fun.

I do feel sorry about the ADHD though, I think some of it have it worse than others, for me its the internet.

[Anonymous No.11418255]

>>11418185
There are so many people with ADHD that manage to read a book that either you are just lazy or don't really want to read

[Anonymous No.11418257]

>>11418223
Pale king tldr: Wallace is 2 people while he's high

[Anonymous No.11418343]

>>11418212
>>11418221
The point is that I don't take meds.
I don't want to fry my brain like that, because with my ADHD comes very high creativity.
Like I said, I can't listen to lectures and can't take notes.

I managed uni without frying my brain with meds, so I won't do it for books.

>>11418247
>noticed myself with humanities that original texts contain many nuances and subtleties that summaries just won't have
This is indeed what I feel like I'm missing. But I would like to know how important they really are for this >>11418221 >become well-read for a type of wholistic fulfillment

My "goal" so to speak is to have a worldview that is the closest model of reality that I can possibly reach, and that includes a model of the human condition. This is particularly interesting in regards to my field being AI.

[Anonymous No.11418349]

>>11418221
>Well, you don't know what you don't know, right?
That's particularly the problem.
I would to at least like to know how much I don't know so that I can make a reasonable judgment how much energy investment this information is worth.

[Anonymous No.11418366]

Read for increments if 5 to 10 minutes at a time several times throughout the day. This will keep you at a steady pace at least and may encourage more reading as you find enjoyment from the act itself without feeling too committed or bored as you would with long sessions.

[Anonymous No.11418373]

>>11418366
I really didn't consider this method.
Have you done this?
I will definitely try this out, thanks.

[Anonymous No.11419578]

>>11418185
Are you self-diagnosing or has a psychologist and/or a psychiatrist diagnosed you?

I have ADHD but it was noticed by a psychologist after months of therapy and then confirmed by a psychiatrist.

[Anonymous No.11419617]

Everyone is different, don't bully OP! Why is my first impulse to shit on OP and resent his illness and call him a good-for-nothing?! We are all diseased, brothers... diseased... We want to hate OP! We are threatened by the possibility that, through no ultimate fault of their own, a man could fail to read!!!

[Anonymous No.11419633]

>>11419617
Go away Alain de Botton.