Todd Shy

Todd Shy is head of school at Avenues The World School in New York City. His essays and reviews have appeared in Commonweal, Comment, Pittsburgh Review of Books, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Point, Slate, Arc, and other publications.

In Defense of Difficult Reading

The tomes of the past cultivate the lost art of sustained attention

By Todd Shy | Friday June 5, 2026

In Defense of Difficult Reading

By Todd Shy | Friday June 5, 2026

● NEWSLETTER

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up