Let’s face it, most of us don’t read for pleasure anymore. Whether it’s because we’re too busy, too burned out from reading for class or simply would rather watch TV, the truth is that we’re not reading.
This isn’t a new topic. Emory professor Mark Bauerlein wrote a book titled “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30)”, which condemns our generation for being more into technology than traditional tales.
While I think Bauerlein hypes up many of his points, I do agree that we need to read more. A lot more.
That doesn’t necessarily mean picking up Ulysses or War and Peace. But it wouldn’t hurt to squeeze in a New York Times best seller every month, or visit a local library.
I am just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to neglecting literature, and I’m a self-professed nerd. I was the kid who constantly had her nose in a book, even when I went to a party with my parents (how embarrassing). But now that I’m taking six college classes, it’s a whole lot harder to keep reading. This summer, I got a Dallas library card. Good start, but I haven’t been back since the beginning of August.
Why do we make time for True Blood or Gossip Girl every week but never set aside any time for a great book? Some of my friends say that they hate to read because it’s boring. Maybe reading doesn’t have exactly the same excitement of a video game, but a thriller by Stephen King can be pretty close.
I love the feel and smell of a book, but if you’ve moved on to the digital age, literary options are still available. Amazon.com recently released the latest version of Kindle, a reading device which boasts free 3G wireless Internet and can hold up to 1,500 books.
Maybe you disliked some of the books you were forced to read over the course of your education. But just like you’re bound to find something on TV that you’ll watch, you’re going to stumble across a book that you’ll enjoy if you look around. Even if it’s just Harry Potter or the latest Dan Brown novel.
It doesn’t matter what we’re reading as long as it’s something besides class assignments. It’s great if you prefer Pride and Prejudice to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but either way we’re educating ourselves and forming opinions. You’ll always appear more knowledgeable when you can throw a literary reference into a conversation…especially a conversation about zombies.
