In November 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts issued a report packed with data revealing that the “habit of regular reading” was on the decline. In the same report, evidence was marshaled to show “how powerfully reading transforms the lives of individuals.” These days, we seem more invested than ever in the idea that words on the page can change you and that stories might produce power surges lasting a lifetime. Testimonials abound in volumes with titles ranging from A Passion for Books and The Book That Changed My Life to Bound to Please and Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading. C. S. Lewis,