--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here's the problem: we are living in a…" description: "\"Here's the problem: we are living in a time when the act of reading is changing. The nature of a reader's attention is changing. The capacity for deep ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/ayad-akhtar-21892_attention_here-s-the-problem-we-are-living-in-a-ti_987895.png" --- # Here's the problem: we are living in a time when the act… ![“Here's the problem: we are living in a time when the act of reading is changing. The nature of a reader's attention is changing. The capacity for deep literary engagement is changing.” quote by Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/ayad-akhtar-21892_attention_here-s-the-problem-we-are-living-in-a-ti_987895.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/ayad-akhtar-21892_attention_here-s-the-problem-we-are-living-in-a-ti_987895.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75a/ayad-akhtar-21892_attention_here-s-the-problem-we-are-living-in-a-ti_987895.png) > “Here's the problem: we are living in a time when the act of reading is changing. The nature of a reader's attention is changing. The capacity for deep literary engagement is changing.” [Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayad-akhtar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading habits and attention spans are shifting, affecting deep literary engagement. **In simple terms:** Reading is changing, affecting depth. Key Takeaway Adapt to new reading contexts. Themes technology attention literacy Mood thoughtful concerned Type analytical observational When to use this quote - education - publishing - personal reading - media consumption Key Concepts digital media cognitive load Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster deep reading? - What tools aid sustained focus? A Different Perspective Deep reading may still be possible with effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-changing-2003463/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Literary Engagement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-engagement-2003462/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Reader Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-attention-270481/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-changing-2003461/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing detains the reader's attention more powerfully than deep involutions of distress, or sudden vicissitudes of fortune; and these might be abundantly afforded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nothing-detains-the-reader-s-attention-more-powerfully-than-deep/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The author always loads his dice, but he must never let the reader see that he has done so, and by the manipulation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-author-always-loads-his-dice-but-he-must-never-let-the-reader-see-2/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Character design, like story design, requires a hook to grab the reader's attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-naifeh/character-design-like-story-design-requires-a-hook-to-grab-the-reader/) [Ted Naifeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-naifeh/) > [“Lolita... is undeniably news in the world of books. Unfortunately, it is bad news. There are two equally serious reasons why it isn't worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orville-prescott/lolita-is-undeniably-news-in-the-world-of-books-unfortunately-it-is/) [Orville Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orville-prescott/) > [To hold the reader's attention, you have to bring the person who's reading the book inside the experience of the time: What was it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/to-hold-the-reader-s-attention-you-have-to-bring-the-person-who-s/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“The writer's object should be to hold the reader's attention. I want the reader to turn the page and keep on turning until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/the-writer-s-object-should-be-to-hold-the-reader-s-attention-i-want/) [Barbara W. Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-w-tuchman/) > [The writer's object is - or should be - to hold the reader's attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-writer-s-object-is-or-should-be-to-hold-the-reader-s-attention/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that the reader's attention is yours for only a single instant. They will not use up their valuable time trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/remember-that-the-reader-s-attention-is-yours-for-only-a-single/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [“…the American reader cannot bear a surprise. He knows that this is the greatest country on earth…and evidence to the contrary is not admissible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-american-reader-cannot-bear-a-surprise-he-knows-that-this-is-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/the-reader-is-someone-with-an-attention-span-of-about-30-seconds/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [But I care about the reader, and I'm trying to keep the reader's attention for as long as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/but-i-care-about-the-reader-and-i-m-trying-to-keep-the-reader-s/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [A writer writes a book. People read it. You don't know what they're reading, really. You read a review and think, "That is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/a-writer-writes-a-book-people-read-it-you-don-t-know-what-they-re/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Amidst the flood of dangerous reading, I plead for my Master's book; I call upon you not to forget the book of the soul.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/amidst-the-flood-of-dangerous-reading-i-plead-for-my-master-s-book-i/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [As we go through this transition where a lot more people will be reading on devices, nobody is paying enough attention to make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/as-we-go-through-this-transition-where-a-lot-more-people-will-be/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) ## More by Ayad Akhtar > [I have no interest in problematizing things. So what I am writing to is that simple sense of being human in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayad-akhtar/i-have-no-interest-in-problematizing-things-so-what-i-am-writing-to/) [Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayad-akhtar/) > [I think that literary forms are losing their capacity to connect people to issues, to the experiences that feel most meaningful to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayad-akhtar/i-think-that-literary-forms-are-losing-their-capacity-to-connect/) [Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayad-akhtar/) > [“It’s because you’re different. You can’t live life by rules others give you. In that way, you and I are the same. 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