Proust and the Squid, chapter 2

I'm still reading Proust and the Squid. I so want to love this book, because of the ideas it contains. But the language is unforgiving for a dyslexic reader. I'm on chapter 2 now, and have discovered that the only way for me to work my way through and hold it in my head is to read it out loud.

Ironic that I have to revert to a childhood form of reading in order to read a book which is about how we develop the ability to read.

I can't usually read anything if there are words in the air around me. One person speaking in a room can render me illiterate. I can't seem to keep the two word streams separate in my head. I have a similar problem when listening to someone speaking in a room where other conversations are going on. My hearing is fairly sharp, but I find that I can't follow the conversation as well as other people. My problem - I simultaneously hear words from all the conversations that are going on around me. I'm sure this is the same for most people, but perhaps to a slightly lesser degree.