I was sad to hear a book group friend say her 11-year old-granddaughter didn’t consider it a treat to go to a bookstore to choose a book—she doesn’t read books. I was slow to realize the books I’d been gifting my 10-year-old niece weren’t a hit. Not because I’d chosen boring stories but because she doesn’t enjoy reading. It saddens me they won’t have the pleasure of being immersed in the imaginary worlds I have so enjoyed.
Although it sounds counterintuitive, fiction presents truths through the lives of made-up people.
I’ve learned about worlds I wouldn’t have access to any other way. Through novels, I’ve entered the lives of a Black Texas Ranger, an 15th century Chinese physician, an escaped enslaved woman, a modern-day reporter in India, Korean deep-sea divers, and more. I’ve gained insight and empathy by seeing cultures beyond my own and feeling the dilemmas of people unlike me. Memoirs also offer me inspiration and perspective for my own life.
Recently, the disinterest in reading novels and the related inability to read whole books has been receiving attention. Several theories may explain the change.
Instead of reading whole novels, many middle school students read excerpts and are tested on their ability to write critical analyses of the excerpts. To be sure, critical analysis is an important skill, but it appears to have the unintended consequence of editing out the joy of completing a good, satisfying story.
Reading whole novels requires skills many high school students aren’t taught. They grow bored, can’t follow the plot, and don’t connect to the characters or themes.
That puzzles me, because TV and movies still engage us. With “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” or “Slow Horses,” viewers enter into invented worlds and can track the plot and characters, so why not in novels and memoirs, whether paper or Kindle books? Perhaps nonreaders have lost the ability to imagine. With TV and movies, the visuals are supplied.
Shorter attention spans are also part of the problem, and students aren’t alone in this. Myriad distractions clamor for our attention and our culture serves up lots of information in short bits—texts, Instagram posts, 35- to 50-word news summaries. In 20 minutes, I might read a dozen short clips instead of one 3,000-word article. Constant interruptions have diminished my powers of concentration. I can still enjoy a 400-page novel, but these days, I get restless and impatient with longer novels.
I learned to love reading whole stories as a girl when there were far fewer distractions. At 8 years old, I draped myself across an upholstered chair and devoured Nancy Drew mysteries. By 14, it was Daphne du Maurier. Often, I wonder about the characters in novels I’m reading and am eager to find out what happens next.
I wish my niece, my friend’s granddaughter, and their peers could experience the gift of being immersed in good books. The joy of being transported to another time or culture. The hours of pleasure, escape, and knowledge.
11 responses to “Disappearing—The Joy of Reading?”
I have an increasing number of friends — my age (very old) or a bit younger, who are “reading” recorded books. I always prefer a physical book (second, a book on my Kindle reader — usually from the library) to listening. But listening is also a skill and an alternative way of engaging with words. I wonder if the “kids” who don’t read would listen. I know that my 8 year old granddaughter already falls asleep listening to age-appropriate books…she has just started reading well enough that age appropriate “chapter books” are fun to read rather than challenging. We shall see…
Interesting thought! At least she hears the whole story and not just an excerpt. Seems like she’d still get a lot of the benefit.
I don’t want to live in a world without books! And it is very sad that many young people no longer like to read. They’re being raised on technology, and don’t have the patience or desire to read, I guess. But they’re missing out on something very special, and this doesn’t bode well for our future societies.
I worry too. The only impact I can think of is reading aloud to my granddaughters–not just toddler books but whole chapter books (if they’ll let me).
It’s odd….and often disconcerting…that after reading at least a book a week for my entire adult life (I started keeping annual “books read” lists back in 1982, when I was an English lit grad student), I find myself drawn to podcasts. The 20 to 30 to 50 minutes they typically require (even less if I listen to them on doublespeed), feels a better fit for my retirement lifestyle. I particularly appreciate that I can listen to them while cleaning, driving and working out.
That’s interesting! I also listen to podcasts, so reading + podcasts. One of my favorite is The Moth, so still stories.
Are yours more informative –akin to reading articles?
I had forgotten the Moth and just resubscribed. Some of the podcasts I listen to are informative/educational, others are entertaining. Am unsure why my reading has fallen off, do hope it’s only temporary.
I can’t imagine life without the escape of a good book. I agree that shorter attention spans are a robber of sorts. Humans invented labor-saving devices to create more leisure time, but in some respects, those devices are robbing us of true leisure.
It’s funny how our attention has become a precious commodity. It’s easy to bog down and get distracted from activities we like.
I wish they would too Ellen! I can’t imagine not reading. Too much time on the internet!
I hate to think reading would disappear as a passtime!