The best-known educator from the twentieth century was a scammer in cashmere. “The most well-known reading instructor in the world,” as tv hosts presented her, Evelyn Real wood had little class experience, no levels in reading instructions, and a history that included a collaboration with the Third Reich. Nevertheless, a nation spooked by Sputnik and panicked by paperwork eagerly embraced her guarantees of the speed-reading revolution.

Journalists, lawmakers and two US presidents lent trustworthiness to Wood’s promises of turbocharging reading speeds. A royal-born Wood grad said she’d polished off Moby Dick in three hours; a senator swore he completed one book per lunchtime. Fudging test outcomes and squelching critics, Wood’s reputation endured even while science proved that her program taught just skimming, with devastating effects on comprehension. As apps and on the web courses try to spark a speed-reading revival, this engaging take a look at Wood’s rise from missionary to internet marketer exposes the pitfalls of wishful thinking.