The first chapter of this book explores Emerson’s own life in relation to reading. Although he was a persistent journalist throughout his life, writing about his engagements with reading from an early age, he struggled with it as a young child, making his eventual forays into reading relevant to both literary and educational scholars. After overcoming his issues with reading, the topic became a mainstay throughout his writing career, and he described being creative with reading, getting lost in books, and frequently checking out more books from the library than he could read before their respective due dates. This chapter sets the stage for an argument that Emerson was not only an avid reader, he wrote about his reading experiences in ways that speak to novice and veteran professors who are eager to experiment with reading strategies that can engage reluctant readers in their classrooms.