NEA: Fiction reading among adults increases!
With all the bad news we hear just about every day (i.e. economic crisis, world unrest, etc) it’s always refreshing to read some good news. You can imagine I was very happy when I came across this article from the New York Times talking about how fiction reading is increasing among adults!
The National Endowment for the Arts released a report that says for the first time since 1982, reading is actually increasing among most age groups. This is contrasted to a report the organization released 4 short years ago that said reading of literary works had dropped sharply.
Why the shift in reading habits? There are several factors at play:
Instead he attributed the increase in literary reading to community-based programs like the "Big Read," Oprah Winfrey’s book club, the huge popularity of book series like "Harry Potter" and Stephenie Meyer’s "Twilight," as well as the individual efforts of teachers, librarians, parents and civic leaders to create "a buzz around literature that’s getting people to read more in whatever medium."
There’s little doubt that the stated reasons above have had a big impact. Say what you want about Oprah, but she has huge influence among a lot of people and she can get them to read. Books like Harry Potter and even the Twilight series not only give the younger generation books to get excited about, but they actually get adults reading them too.
Personally, I believe that with the mess the world is in, people are turning to literature as not only cheap entertainment (cheap in cost, not intellectual value of reading a book), but as a way to escape from the problems that we, as a society, are facing.
Why do I read?
I can talk all day about literary theory and its relation to philosophy and all that other academic stuff. However, even for me, a lot of my reading boils down to pure entertainment. I read because I enjoy being taken away to a different place and getting wrapped up in the plot and characters. I get more pleasure out of a good book than I do most movies that are being released.
I think if we want this trend to continue, reading must start at home at a very early age. If we don’t get young kids reading early, then they’ll be a lost cause. My parents got me reading early. I still thank them to this day for not only encouraging me to read and explore literature, but also setting a good example by reading a lot themselves. The habit they instilled in me early on of reading before going to bed is still something I do, and I find it hard to fall asleep if I don’t read for at least 20 minutes in bed.
Of course, I realize I live in the real world and there are kids out there who don’t come from good homes, or their parents just aren’t into reading. When kids aren’t getting encouraged to read at home, then schools and other literacy programs need to pick up the slack. There are a lot of ways to get kids genuinely interested in books, it just takes a little effort on our part.
Nevertheless, reading the NYT article did make me feel better, that there is a future for literature and if we play our cards right, it can be a very bright future. Hopefully everyone reading this will make it a point to read at least one book a month. And if you’re a writer, there’s no excuse!
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Read More: Literary News, Reading
