Alan Jacobs’ slim little book explores the fate of reading in the 21st Century. Ebooks, multi-media, the current publishing crisis, and the multi-tasking of Blackberry, iPad, and laptop users are changing the way people think about reading. Jacobs writes about how reading has evolved over time, how writers changed their writing styles, and how the reading public’s tastes changed. Yes, Jacobs deals with Stephen King and J. K. Rowling as well as Tolstoy and Faulkner. I found Jacobs’ analysis thought-provoking. GRADE: B+