Adults Need To Crack Open More Books
Books, along with paintings, are true pieces of art. Authors create worlds with words, entertaining readers of all ages. Whether these authors are from the past or the present, there are plenty of books that have stood the test of time, and that have been intriguing and entertaining readers since their creation.
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Unfortunately, it seems that there has been a noticeable decline in the amount of reading among adults since the 1980s. Since adults haven’t been reading as much as they had previously, this may lead to the decrease in the amount of literate people, or people who are able to read and write. This decline in reading is a serious issue because if the adults aren’t bothering to read a book, the adults of the next generation could adopt that mentality.
According to a survey conducted by Scholastic, 51% of the children they interviewed, ranging from the ages of 6 to 17, were reading a book for entertainment. Hypocritically, 86% of the adults said that it is beneficial for kids to read. The question is: if it’s important for their children, why aren’t the adults reading themselves?
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According to Micah L. Issitt and Kathryn Cook,“[s]urveys of libraries, newspapers, and magazines have indicated an overall decline in reading among American adults”. There was a percentage drop from 56% to 47% from 1982 to 2002, a drop of 9% over two decades. The newspaper and magazine industries also have noticed a decline in viewership, though this could be due to more people relying on televised news.
This decline in reading may be a consequence for the growing use of technology among adults and children alike. For example, as Otis Kramer and Geraldine Wagner state, people from 35 to 44 voluntarily read about 12 minutes a day, but watched TV about 2 ½ hours. These adults spent 12.5 times more time watching TV rather than reading a book for 2006. Teens and young adults, ranging from 15 to 24, read an average of 10 minutes a week, but spent the same amount of time watching TV as the adults. For the young adults, they spent 15 times more time watching TV than reading a book, which is a shocking statistic, to say the least.
Suzi Parker reports that “[American students] fell from 10th to 20th in reading [at the end of 2013]”. It’s a possibility that this massive drop in our educational performance in reading is a direct consequence from the decreasing enthusiasm for reading in general.
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In the New York Times article called “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?”, the author, Motoko Rich, claims that people who believe that the Internet devalues books “argue that it is unrealistic to expect all children to read To Kill a Mockingbird or Pride and Prejudice”. This argument is an example of a hasty generalization fallacy, which is when someone introduces an idea, but doesn’t fully present all sides of the idea. For example, with this certain quote, teachers are capable of using these tougher books for students who typically have a hard time reading or a learning disability.
The decline in reading among adults is not only disappointing, but also threatening. This unenthusiastic attitude for reading has led to a drop in our ranking in education, especially in English. According to, “[t]he U.S. Department of Education maintains that avid reading promotes better skills acquisition, superior grades, and a desirable life, as measured by income, profession, employment, and other attributes”. If we want to return America to among the top ten in English education, we, along with the adults, need to read more, and reading this editorial has been a productive start.