Key Takeaways
- The Princeton Pre‑read for the Class of 2030 is Maryanne Wolf’s Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, chosen to spark discussion on why deep reading matters amid advancing AI.
- Wolf argues that screen‑based reading erodes the brain’s capacity for sustained, empathetic, and critical thought, advocating a “biliterate” reading brain that can thrive in both print and digital environments.
- Incoming students are encouraged to view deep reading as a personal resistance to superficial information consumption and as a foundation for democratic engagement.
- Student reactions highlighted the need for responsible, limited AI use and the importance of ongoing, nuanced conversations about technology in a liberal‑arts education.
- The selection continues Princeton’s tradition of choosing Pre‑read titles that intersect technology and human cognition, following Fei‑Fei Li’s The Worlds I See for the Class of 2028.
Why Princeton Chose Reader, Come Home
University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 explained his rationale in the foreword to the Pre‑read edition: “I chose ‘Reader, Come Home’ as this year’s Pre‑read because it addresses a question of vital importance to every entering student: Why should we continue to read long, challenging books when artificial intelligence agents can quickly summarize them for us?” The Pre‑read program, launched by Eisgruber in 2013, aims to unite the incoming class around a shared intellectual text each summer, fostering dialogue before orientation.
Maryanne Wolf’s Academic Background
Wolf directs UCLA’s Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners and Social Justice and previously held the John DiBiaggio Professorship of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, where she also led the Center for Reading and Language Research. Her expertise spans the neuroscience of reading, dyslexia, and the interplay between language and cognition, positioning her as a leading voice on how technology reshapes the reading brain.
The Trilogy Context
Reader, Come Home concludes Wolf’s trilogy on cognition, following Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain and Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain. In the Pre‑read announcement, the article notes that the book “explores how digital technology is changing the way our brains read, arguing that the shift away from print and towards the screen is jeopardizing our capacity for deep reading.” Wolf proposes cultivating a “biliterate” reading brain capable of navigating both mediums effectively.
Deep Reading in the Digital Age
In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, Wolf elaborated on her vision: “I want to inspire incoming Princeton students to build the most elaborate, critical, empathetic and reflective brain that the human species can achieve.” She stressed that achieving this requires “a whole new understanding of reading and how it changes the brain… putting aside former childhood concepts of reading, and discovering that what I call ‘deep reading’ requires time, attention, cognitive patience, and reflection.” She warned that these abilities are endangered “by the temporal shortcuts of a culture that awards efficiency more than the quality of thought.”
Reading as Resistance
Wolf frames deep reading as an act of resistance against mindless information consumption. She told the Prince that “critical thinking and empathy provide a platform for [students’] best thoughts and ultimately, for their contributions to a democratic society.” This perspective positions sustained, reflective reading not merely as an academic exercise but as a civic virtue essential for thoughtful participation in public life.
Student Perspectives on AI and Reading
During Princeton Preview, admitted students shared their thoughts on the book and AI’s role in education. Marco Venegas said, “I think the whole point of college … is to undergo the intellectual process of being a student here, and you can only do that if you use AI responsibly, and, in my opinion, in a limited way.” Katie Bergsieker echoed the need for nuanced dialogue: “The more we can talk about it, the less it can be taboo… It’s really easy to either label AI as something that’s really good, or something that’s really bad.” Benjamin Wang added, “Reading matters a lot for how we learn, store knowledge, and how we write down and communicate our own ideas… I think AI is going to be very big in the future, and it’s very good to keep up with the times.”
Balancing Utility and Growth
Delia Dixon emphasized the learning value of struggle: “We need to make sure that we’re still struggling through that learning process, because that’s how we grow and that’s how we learn.” She urged peers to employ AI “from a research perspective, and less of a servant for your tasks.” Yelena Guerrero, who is not yet committed to Princeton, stressed awareness: “It’s better to spread awareness about how to use it in a good way, because people are not going to stop using it.” These remarks reflect a collective call for intentional, reflective AI integration rather than outright rejection or uncritical adoption.
Wolf’s Personal Reflection
Seeing her work selected as the Pre‑read fulfilled a longtime aspiration for Wolf. She told the Prince: “I can only compare it to the hopes that many writers possess: that their best efforts to articulate their deepest hopes for humanity will become what Proust called that ‘fertile miracle of communication’ that happens in the solitary home of the reader’s mind.” The sentiment underscores her belief that reading, especially deep, reflective reading, remains a uniquely human conduit for connection and insight.
Continuity with Past Pre‑Read Selections
The article notes that in 2024 the University chose Fei‑Fei Li ’99’s The Worlds I See for the Class of 2028, a work that examines the future of AI through the lens of an immigrant family’s search for belonging. Like Wolf’s selection, Li’s book bridges technology and human experience, reinforcing the Pre‑read program’s pattern of selecting texts that provoke critical conversation about emerging scientific and societal shifts.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Incoming students will receive a copy of Reader, Come Home over the summer and will discuss it at the Pre‑read assembly during orientation. The initiative aims to lay a foundation for ongoing campus conversations about the role of AI in learning, the preservation of deep reading capacities, and the responsibility of future leaders to harness technology thoughtfully. As Wolf’s work suggests, cultivating a biliterate, reflective mind may be the most enduring defense against the erosive pressures of a fast‑paced, efficiency‑driven digital culture.
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/04/princeton-news-broadfocus-pre-read-maryanne-wolf-artificial-intelligence-class-of-2030