Happy Luau

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

One in Four Read No Books Last Year


This is the title of a news article that came out in today's paper---these are Americans, not people in undeveloped countries! Can you believe this? What do you think? How limited must a life be when your entire world is limited to your own experience and what you view in the pop cultural media? When books are free at public libraries and people CAN read, what in the world is going on? Is anyone besides me disturbed by this?

What do you think?

UPDATE: This was in the comment section following the above article:

"Only one in four didn't read a book? I'm a librarian and I would have guessed only one in four had read a book. I'm betting many in the survey said they'd read one if they'd only touched one. To illustrate what we're up against: Libraries offer a variety of materials in addition to books including DVDs. I've lost count of the number of times I have overheard parents say to their children that they couldn't check out books: they could only have movies.---T. J. Aug-21"

~Picture by Me

4 comments:

Lynn Cohen said...

I saw that today over lunch and nearly lost it. It's sad. I read book after book after book.
My children did and do too and our grandchildren are read to daily/nightly since birth (yes, since BIRTH). You should have seen these two twin preemies sitting proped up infront of books while mom/dad/grandma read to them. They LOVE books today at almost three years.

Just sad. I think all the technology has something to do with it. The techie/electric games, hand held things, the gameboys, etc. I think kids are being robbed of their imaginations, that's what I think!

Olivia said...

I agree with you, Lynn, that kids are being robbed of their imaginations. They will never develop.

It's a fine thing, that you are doing with your grandchildren. I think a love of books is natural and healthy! Good for you.

Too bad the kids can't let the technology complement their reading. Minds get lazy...

Anonymous said...

Craziness! I am known as the book auntie. While others attending baby showers give sleepers and toys, I always go out and get a copy of Goodnight Moon and other classics. That's my tradition every holiday and birthday for the children in my life.

Olivia said...

Great tradition, Kelly. And more important now than ever apparently, since reading is waning overall. I think it's absolutely bizarre, too. Maybe we're a different group too, as bloggers...I would bet that the non-reading crowd is underrepresented here!