332 videos of readings and in-depth analysis of timeless classics now on the growing Reading with Jimmy collection (online and on YouTube).
Palatine, IL – Reading with Jimmy and the Reading with Jimmy YouTube channel have grown to 332 videos and over 200 hours of content, bringing the classics to life by showing the text and reading the text with comprehensive out-loud analysis for each one.
Covering a wide gamut of English, Greek, Russian, American, and French literature, the platforms now enjoy a robust, growing audience engaged in overcoming the terrible reading and attention scores in the United States today.
“Reading scores suck, plain and simple,” says Jim Nowakowski (aka Jimmy). “As reported by the U.S. Department of Education, only 32% of fourth graders read at or above proficiency for their grade level. The numbers only get worse with age, dropping to 29% for eighth graders. A significant portion of adults read below a sixth-grade level. Just look around you! The cure? Showing the words and reading out loud with me.”
Nowakowski, a former English teacher turned successful businessman, saw the need for reading to grow over the years. “Being in business for over 30 years, I witnessed firsthand the dumbing down of America, and decided the problem is not being able to read generally, and not knowing how to read classical literature specifically.” Nowakowski taught “underachievers” for ten years before starting his successful business, and when he taught, used reading out loud to engage his students.
“The problem is always understanding versus appreciation,” he explains. “You think you don’t know how to read, but that’s just nonsense. Reading is hard work, but I make it fun!”
Jimmy believes there’s a big difference between understanding and appreciation. “You can understand something and not appreciate it, but you can never appreciate anything without understanding it. Appreciation takes time. Imagination. And knowledge. It doesn’t happen overnight, but reading out loud is the beginning of it.”
He created these platforms, and for the past two years has been filling them up with content — with language charged with meaning, as Ezra Pound said.
A Simple Plan
Jimmy only reads classics — to find out how other people lead their lives in order to learn how to lead our own. Each novel or story he selects is read entirely. Then it is analyzed. The analysis of literature is how you develop appreciation, not just understanding. “Sometimes the analysis is longer than the story,” he points out with a smile. “The joy of language is that it should be read aloud,” he says.
The authors selected so far are numerous: Dostoevsky, Chaucer, Lewis Carroll, Guy de Maupassant, Hemingway, John Cheever, Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, Marcus Aurelius, and many more.
“These authors bring language to life — including the translators of the foreign classics,” he says. “But it’s not just the reading of the piece: it’s the analysis that’s the key.”
Nowakowski includes in-depth analysis of every classic to help readers appreciate and understand the literature, which he considers essential. He walks them through the piece of literature, bringing in real-life examples of relevance.
“The beauty of a classic is you can read it over and over again and walk away enriched more than you did before,” he says. “You don’t do that with today’s literature.”
Current Reading List
The current reading list — 332 videos and over 200 hours of readings — includes:
A Duel; A Farewell to Arms; A&P; Alice in Wonderland; An Old Man; Art of War; Atalanta; Beowulf; Boule de Suif; Civil Disobedience; Daedalus and Icarus; Diary of a Madman; Fall of the House of Usher; Five Forty Eight; Hamlet; Johnny Bear; Lysistrata; Meditations; Minister’s Black Veil; Most Dangerous Game; Notes from Underground; Novel in Nine Letters; Rust; Self Reliance; The Lottery; The Canterbury Tales; The Devil; The Hand; The Horla; The Jewels; The Mask; The Matter with Andre; The Piece of String; The Prince; The Signal; To Build a Fire; Travel Is So Broadening; Two Friends.
QuickTakes
Each classic includes a ten-minute “QuickTake” — a short introduction for readers to sample the classic before reading the entire work. These QuickTakes are divided into easy-to-understand sections, including the plot overview, what makes the author unique, the themes found in the piece, and why the work matters today.
“You’d be surprised how relevant classical literature is for today’s world,” Nowakowski adds. “Very surprised.”
Watch, Listen & Engage
🎧 Watch and Listen to the full readings and analysis:
📺 Watch and listen to classic literature on YouTube:
About Reading with Jimmy
With over 300 videos and more than 200 hours of content, Reading with Jimmy brings the enduring power of classic literature to students, educators, and lifelong learners. From Chaucer to Hemingway, each reading combines thoughtful narration with unique interpretations designed to spark debate and discovery.
About James A. Nowakowski (aka Jimmy)
James A. Nowakowski has been a business strategist, speaker, and author since starting his companies (www.interlinegroup.com and a-i-m.com) in 1990. He taught English for 10 years in private and public schools in the Chicago area prior to that, and holds an M.A. in English from DePaul University and a B.A. from Lewis University, where he majored in English and minored in Theology and Philosophy. For his M.A., Nowakowski passed two of his four comprehensive examinations with distinction (Renaissance and American Literature).
Jim has used his classical training throughout his business career, which can be seen in his blog, Alas, poor Yorick! Do you know him? He was invited to participate in an Industry Advisory Council (IAC) panel held by the University of Phoenix College of Humanities and Sciences on November 13, 2015.
He grew his business to over twenty-five people prior to COVID and remains active in his businesses in Palatine, Illinois.
He can be found on LinkedIn/, on X at @interlinejim, or at jim@interlinegroup.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
