Conversations about Reading with Older Adults: Self-Knowledge and Empowerment

This article focuses on the role and possible uses of a specific practice of conversation about reading, also referred to as reading conversation or reading interview. It reveals its many benefits, especially in terms of increased self-awareness, narrative learning, interpersonal bonding, and reading motivation. The author refers to the reading interviews she has been conducting with older people and demonstrates how reflection on one’s own reading constitutes a rich source of knowledge about oneself and has a significant empowering potential. She proposes different practical implementations of such conversations as a group activity in the context of retirement homes and more broadly. Special attention is given to the development of the methodology and to the performance of these conversational sessions, as well as to the practical challenges, specifically in relation to the inclusion of different profiles of older people.