Friday, November 30, 2007
Editorial: Read a good book lately? Didn't think so
We don't need a how-to guide to not become dumber than a fourth-grader. Any good book will do.
From the RoundTable blog
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Those who don't read for pleasure missed the delightful translation of Shakespeare in a John Harding novel. The only literate character on a South Pacific island desires to introduce the Bard to the villagers and so transcribes Hamlet into the native's pidgin: "Is be or is be not, is be one big damn puzzler."
We couldn't help but recall that line when reading the National Endowment for the Arts' comprehensive analysis of reading patterns in the United States called, "To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence." Don't let the rather tedious title cause your eyes to glaze over, because the report actually contains exciting work.
A review of numerous studies found that as Americans age they tend to read very little for enjoyment. The fewer books they read, the duller their thinking skills become and the less involved they are with their communities.
Society places great emphasis on tots and children reading. Expectant mothers read to their wombs. Nurseries are filled with picture books. Kindergarteners delight in storybooks.
Americans do such a great job with the little ones that our fourth-graders have become quite smart at understanding what they read, consistently bettering scores of children who tested before them. Perhaps, this is because 9-year-olds still revel in stories and read for sheer enjoyment.
By the time kids reach high school, though, the pleasure in reading is sucked from their souls. They begin to think of reading as a means to cram textbook chapters into their heads. No wonder they find it boring. As they age into adults, they claim to be far too busy to read.
And we're not just talking undereducated adults. The reading abilities of Americans of all education levels have deteriorated. Sadly, proficiency among the best educated has declined the most notably, turning many of our once-brightest into dullards.
Fortunately, reading muscles can rebound with exercise. As with physical exertion, desire and motivation must come first. That should be easy enough, with books on every topic imaginable, from handkerchiefs to fly fishing to whodunits to distressed damsels to NASCAR heroes to even Shakespeare and South Pacific islanders.
Is be one big damn puzzler as to why people would deny themselves this pleasure.
