Maybe the “why” book for a language would be something like reading manga for someone wanting to learn Japanese—something that makes the language and culture seem cool and something that you want to learn. :)
Given that learning a language also includes a fair chunk of learning the culture (e.g. knowing which forms of address are appropriate at which times), reading literature from that culture is probably actually useful for accomplishing the “Why” book’s goal of explaining the mindset and intuitions behind the skill.
Maybe the “why” book for a language would be something like reading manga for someone wanting to learn Japanese—something that makes the language and culture seem cool and something that you want to learn. :)
Given that learning a language also includes a fair chunk of learning the culture (e.g. knowing which forms of address are appropriate at which times), reading literature from that culture is probably actually useful for accomplishing the “Why” book’s goal of explaining the mindset and intuitions behind the skill.