# Do the youth of America no longer read?



## klenart (Dec 4, 2010)

Now, I'm not THAT old to be making such a statement I guess.  But I just returned from dinner at a cozy barbecue restaurant where everyone just kind of talks aloud to each other.

I was the oldest one present by far.  Discussion came around to books and I professed such an excitement and love for reading and especially eReaders and I got a blank stare from every one of the nine youngsters (age range 18-27) that were in there.  It became obvious to me that not a single one had probably read a book since the last time they were forced to in school.

Is this the current state of the next generation or was my random sample an anomaly?


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## mattposner (Oct 28, 2010)

I'm a high school teacher. It's definitely a concern with a percentage of the generation. Some kids do read, though. It depends almost exclusively upon whether their parents encourage them to do so when they are young AND model by reading themselves. I tend to suspect that "learning disability" often correlates to "not emotionally prepared for learning at the proper age".

Regards,

Matt


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

klenart said:


> Now, I'm not THAT old to be making such a statement I guess. But I just returned from dinner at a cozy barbecue restaurant where everyone just kind of talks aloud to each other.
> 
> I was the oldest one present by far. Discussion came around to books and I professed such an excitement and love for reading and especially eReaders and I got a blank stare from every one of the nine youngsters (age range 18-27) that were in there. It became obvious to me that not a single one had probably read a book since the last time they were forced to in school.
> 
> Is this the current state of the next generation or was my random sample an anomaly?


I don't mean to be rude at all, but these kind of statements irritate me a bit. I really dislike when any generation gets lumped together because of a few observations. 9 people at one restaurant is not a random sample, nor is it representative of an entire generation. I know adults who don't like to read, I know little kids who don't like to read, and I know people my age who don't like to read. Is there a larger percentage of 18-27 year olds who don't like to read, as compared with an older generation? Maybe. But asking if the youth of America no longer read is very presumptuous and totally untrue. Of course they read. I read, most of my friends read, my little sister and her friends read. We were usually the two at family get-togethers who sat in the back, reading books while the adults couldn't understand why we liked to read so much. I bring my Kindle everywhere and if none of my friends can join me for meals, I sit in the cafeteria and read by myself. I see lots of other college kids reading paperbacks and newspapers there as well. I haven't read any studies on the reading habits of people by generation, so all I can offer is my own observations. Yes, the youth of America still read.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

i am with Jessica with this. I don't know if it is the groups I hang with orand  the places I hang out. My friends and I are all readers. Sometimes I think my classmates and friends are going to run off with my kindle one day. My brother doesn't read books like novels and such (he really does have learning disabilities), but he loves reading comics and manga.

When I am at school i often see people reading. Also see people reading at Starbucks, lunch at WholeFoods, and several other hang outs.


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## Bonbonlover (Oct 17, 2010)

right now my 18 year old DD is reading, my 16 year old DS is reading, my 14 year old DD is reading and my 12 year old DD is reading... I just put my kindle down but will get back to it when I finish reading this board.

** PS homework is done... they are reading for pleasure! **


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

I think people as a whole read less and I seriously know people who consider reading a magazine the same as reading a book in terms of accomplishing something reading.  These days people don't even like to read posts on discussion boards that are longer than two paragraphs.  I think instant gratification has gotten to folks even to the point that they just can't see the value in reading a book, and while it may not be generational, each new generation is exposed more to the new ways than the old so it becomes a way of life for them hence seeming as if all the youngins don't appreciate what the previous generation does.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

I think arguably people now read and write ore than any generation in history.  It is not all long form reading and writing and I think some feel that it means that the reading is less.  But even though much reading is short form reading by sales is not dying nearly as much as what people think it is.  Sales are going up, the number of books published is through the roof.  Yes some people do not read. But there have always been people that haves not read.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

If I were to look just at my 3 teens (16,17,19) and their close friends, I would have the opposite result you did. My kids all read,  one of them may only read a book a month, but the other two more than make up for that, as they read multiple books per week. And for all 3 of them, the friends they hang out with read about the same amount they do. My DD (the youngest) and 4 of her close friends all trade books, and suggest authors to each other, they jump up and down when a new book by one of their favorites comes out, and she spends 75% of her free time reading. My DS#1, got the first Kindle in our home over 2 years ago, and what we saved buying books for his Kindle and reading habits, was enough to purchase my Kindle just 3 months later. The K3 came out a week after he started college this year, and so I upgraded his K1 at that time, and he loves reading on it even more than his K1. His girlfriend and he talk about books, and spend time together at school back-to-back reading. My DS#2 is the one who reads less, but what he does readtends to be 3"-4" thick books. (I keep trying to talk him into a Kindle but he says he doesn't read enough to justify it.) He read all of Ayn Rand's books earlier this year, just one right after another..He has less time to read than the other two do as well, works 35 hrs a week, 2 college courses concurrent with his Senior year of HS.  He moved from the regular HS to a new one where he could do the coursework at his own pace, taking Astronomy, Senior English, Gov't, Econ, Physics, and Sociology, finishing them off just last Monday.

I know my three and their friends are not necessarily the "norm" for their age group, but if I were to go just by them, I'd say today's youth were great readers, You may have just gotten the exact opposite group, and adding them together might give you an average.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

In high school, in the '80's, I remember listening to my elders discussing the sad state of youth and how they/we don't read .... plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

I strongly believe that you'll always have people who read and those who don't. A few examples:

I have a friend whose father actually *forbade *her to read books and refused to take her to the library when she was young. Now, however, my friend can't get enough of books! She reads way more than I do, and that's saying something.

Then there's my youngest daughter... My house is overstuffed with books, we go to the library nearly every week, and nearly everyone in the family reads constantly. Yet my youngest daughter just isn't into it.

Finally, there's my sister who never liked to read as a kid, but now doesn't leave the house without a book...

There are all kinds of people in the world.


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## klenart (Dec 4, 2010)

Jessica Billings said:


> I don't mean to be rude at all, but these kind of statements irritate me a bit. I really dislike when any generation gets lumped together because of a few observations.


Jessica,

Thanks for your response. I hadn't intended to lump the entire generation together, nor to be irritating; although I can see how you would get that impression. I am not surprised that you and your friends all read quite a bit. After all, this IS a Kindle forum. I think the members here are about 99% likely to still read books for pleasure. So maybe I'm asking the wrong group for feedback! 

Besides the restaurant I described, it just seems to me I hardly ever see young folks reading for pleasure anymore. Another example is when I travel on a plane for business. People pass the time in different ways. I, and many other "older" folks, are likely to have a newspaper, physical book or eReader. Not everyone does for sure, but probably at least 25-30% of travelers 40+ years old, that are actively doing something, are in fact reading (in my own observations).

Conversely, it seems that at least 90% of people under 30, if they are doing a leisure-time activity on the plane, seem to be watching DVDs; playing a handheld game console; or using a portable PC.

I also hadn't intended for the OP to really be making any sort of qualitative judgment on the issue. I am really just amazed by how books as a medium seem to be falling out of favor.


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## klenart (Dec 4, 2010)

mattposner said:


> It depends almost exclusively upon whether their parents encourage them to do so when they are young AND model by reading themselves.


I could believe this. So if younger folks are in fact reading less for pleasure as I suspect, it's mostly due to our own fault by not being proper role models to them, especially as parents.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I agree with the majority of responses that feel that the general populace, all ages, are reading and writing more than ever.  This is my observation.
However to answer klenart's most recent post: I think you might find that some of those iphones and ipads/computers contain ereaders.  I have often recently found that people were actually reading on their smart phones now that they have become tired with playing games on them.
At least that is my observation.

Oh, yeah - I think that the younger generation are doing just fine.  I was worried about the "next gen" about 5-10 years ago.  But the ones coming up are incredible in almost all ways - IMHO.

Just sayin......


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## klenart (Dec 4, 2010)

Several of the other responses hit on the fact that the type of reading (and writing) people do is changing.  These very forums are a testament to that.

All the responses are very interesting and add greatly appreciated perspective.

Another spin on the OP... is it just because us old folks are stuck in our ways that we continue to read more and use other media less.  (Again, I am NOT insinuating that all people over 40 are this way, obviously).  Maybe reading traditional books is simply too inefficient and we should embrace newer technologies.

For instance I have never read a "tweet," knowingly at least, and don't even have a clue how I would do so.  It simply sparks no interest in me whatsoever.  Maybe I'm a dinosaur, destined for extinction.  I'm willing to consider that.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

I've never seen either of my parents read a book but I'm an avid reader so I can't say that people are influenced by their families.  I read a lot, my OH doesn't at all.  One of his sisters reads, the other probably wouldn't read anything longer than a text.  My brother doesn't read, his partner reads almost as much as I do.  We're all in our twenties.  

I left school when I was 16, my brother went to college - reading didn't make me any better than him.  It doesn't matter if people read books or blogs or do other things, we all do what interests us.  Nothing wrong with that.  

I'm not in America but I think there will always be people who like to read, and those who prefer other forms of entertainment - as it always has been.  Judging by the amount of ebooks being sold on Amazon US, reading hasn't gone out of fashion.


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## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

I heard the same thing about my generation: "Kids today don't read." And we had the same situation in our family where some were avid readers and some haven't picked up a book in years. All of my children read and my husband and I read. We always had our house filled with books. Now that I have my Kindle, I'm culling as many books as I can.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I also worked in a highschool just a year ago. One of the classes was a special education reading class, where the kids were all waay below grade level. Despite that fact, some of these kids loved to read. Most of them hated it, of course - probably because it was so difficult for them. But a group of girls were slowly chugging their way through the Twilight books, asking us questions about words they didn't understand. So yes, there are still highschool kids out there who are reading and enjoying it, even when it's incredibly difficult for them.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

My point was that I have stories of kids at every skill level who like to read and who don't like to read. That's why I think conversations like this are pretty silly because everyone is going to have examples of kids they know who do like to read and ones they've met who don't. The statement that the youth today don't read is obviously not true, because we've come up with several examples of youth who _do_ like to read.

The only way to tell if the youth today read _less_ than a previous generation would be to do an involved study, which I'm sure none of us have done. We would have to decide what we consider "reading" (do text-based games count? Graphic novels? Those stories you subscribe to and get a snippet of every day on your phone?) and what "less" is (less time overall, smaller segments of time, fewer books read?) - which none of us are prepared to do. Instead, all we can do is offer examples of people we know who like to read or not, and all our experiences are going to differ. So yes, some kids somewhere today still read. I'd love to see an actual study that answers anything beyond that question, but I haven't been able to find one.


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

From what I have seen, not many do (well, lots of people have read Twilight, but since that is written at a 4th grade reading level I don't think it really counts much after 4th grade). I think today's youth would rather play video games, do things on the internet, etc. However I think eReaders and eReader apps can change that. It is a lot more socially acceptable to pull out an electronic device than it a book with today's youth. And I think a youth is a lot more likely to ask what a Kindle is than to ask someone what they are reading.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

s0nicfreak said:


> From what I have seen, not many do (well, lots of people have read Twilight, but since that is written at a 4th grade reading level I don't think it really counts much after 4th grade).


Say what you will about books like Twilight (and Harry Potter), but I think they have done more to get people interested in reading for the first time (or again) than anything else in a long time. How can that be bad?


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

I never said it was bad, just that I don't count it. If it gets kids into reading, that's wonderful. However if an adult reads it and never progresses to the next reading level, well, I just don't think that is anything to write home about.


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

My two children fall into that age category (18-27) and both are readers. DD (27) reads for pleasure again now that she's finished grad. school. DS (20) never goes anywhere without a book and reads (for pleasure) almost as much as I do. DH and I always encouraged them to read. DH taught DD to read when she was 5. DS was a late reader (due to eye tracking problems) he was 7. We're a reading family and often spend meal time discussing books, authors, plots, etc. We've always encouraged the kids to read a wide range genre. DD's favourite book is _THE GREAT GATSBY_. DS says it depends on his "mood" what his favourite book is.

Are our twenty-somethings odd? I don't think so. Ninety-eight percent of DS's friends are the same way. The last time a group of DS's friends got together here at the house they spent a few hours discussing books and authors. DD attends two different book clubs and is getting an eReader for Christmas. She is the one who suggested to my family that I needed a Kindle a few years ago. Books and reading have always been important in our family. When the kids were growing up we often had "family reading night". When they were really young we would read to them aloud, as they got older we each settled down with a book and spent the evening reading.

I think kids reading and love of books depends on how they were encouraged by their parents and if their parents were readers. My mother was as much a reader as I am; my father, on the other hand, didn't read books but did read multiple newspapers and news magazines. He didn't read books until he retired and had the time to relax, then he, too, became a voracious reader.


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## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

Most books/series that have sky-rocketed in recent years are pretty much all YA books that eventually crossed over to adults. (Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, Lightning Thief, and many, many more.) 

I think it's pretty safe to say that the youth of America read, contrary to a lot of alarmists who claim otherwise. (The illiteracy rate in the country still needs help, but it seems that a good number of those who can read well, DO.)

All of my close friends are avid readers. (But then, that may be because I'm a writer and know lots of writers and writers read . . .)

That said, I know a woman who has read maybe half a dozen books in her adult life--all mine because, and I'm sure she read them because she felt obligated to. It's really sad, but you can tell in the way she talks and writes that she doesn't have some basic skills reading gives you. 

Reading is so much more than immersing yourself in a story. It's learning to communicate, infer, and so much more. Her kids aren't doing that well in school, and I can't help but wonder if they'd be doing better if their mom read books. (She's mid-30s and very much an anomaly among friends and family.)

My kids (oldest 15) are all avid readers. First time I caught one of them sneaking a book past bedtime, I did a jig. I knew that was a good sign for the future.


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## klenart (Dec 4, 2010)

AnnetteL said:


> First time I caught one of them sneaking a book past bedtime, I did a jig. I knew that was a good sign for the future.


I bet! I am guessing that was a proud moment.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

s0nicfreak said:


> I never said it was bad, just that I don't count it. If it gets kids into reading, that's wonderful. However if an adult reads it and never progresses to the next reading level, well, I just don't think that is anything to write home about.


I have absolutely no interest in that series and have never read it, but why is it any less of a book than something written at a higher reading level? It's not like a picture book that takes no concentration - the first book alone is around 500 pages. From what I have heard of the plot and characters, I don't think it's that great of a book, but if someone else enjoys it, why can't they count it as legitimate reading? For the girls I mentioned who were reading it, they were 15/16 years old and at a 4th grade reading level. If they never get past that, but continue to read voraciously at that level, are they not readers?


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

If it is read by someone that has long passed that reading level, I feel it does not provide any educational value. For people that are actually at that reading level, things are different. 

I do not believe they would never be able to get past that. I think that at some point - even though it may be much slower than normal - they will understand every word in the book, all of the sentence structure, etc. Even if it means they must read it many more times than the average person, even if it means they must read many more books at that level than the average person, I think they would eventually be able to progress. I could be wrong, of course.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Does reading necessarily need to provide educational value? The more important things to me about reading are: Can I relate to it? Does it leave me feeling entertained? Do I feel like a better/happier person after reading it? Did it change my view of the world/my life in some way?

Every kid is different, of course, but I don't believe everyone can progress to the same reading level. I worked with one boy who had little to no short-term memory. That means that as he was reading, he would forget everything he read 10 minutes ago. It's nearly impossible to read anything of any length that way and his spelling, grammar, and reading comprehension was miserable compared to the other kids because he would forget everything he understood just moments before. So is he maybe stuck at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level? It's possible. But I do not believe that means he simply cannot become a reader. He is just going to be reading different books than others his age. 

I still can't understand how anyone can say today's youth would rather play video games/surf the Internet/etc. There are a ton of examples here of people in that age range who do a ton of reading. How can you discount all that based on the few people you've encountered or observed? I'm not saying that all kids like to read (or even a majority), but there is a huge number who do.


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## caracara (May 23, 2010)

There is reading for pleasure and there is reading for educational sake. There are many things out there to entertain us so it makes sense if kids are reading less. Plus there are so many different mediums to read it depends on your definition of reading. Also it is a lot more convenient to carry phone than a book, so the books may be getting left at home and only read there.  

I also don't think it's fair to base High Schoolers reading reading level off their willingness to read an assigned book. I love to read, and read every day, and I will complain about assigned books. Not necessarily because of the book itself but because it is an assignment. Students rebel all the time and know how to get around the system. And just because they don't read in High School does not mean they won't pick up reading latter in life.

I am 18 and read all the time. I have been yelled at by teachers because of it. My brother on the other hand does not. My parents encouraged us both and read to us when we were younger, and we turned out polar opposites.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

caracara said:


> I am 18 and read all the time. I have been yelled at by teachers because of it. My brother on the other hand does not. My parents encouraged us both and read to us when we were younger, and we turned out polar opposites.


Gotta love that. I got in trouble for reading in High School too. It's like, seriously? Shouldn't we be encouraging people to read? I would finish my work and pull out a book and read, but apparently my teachers would rather I just sit there staring off into space or laying down on the desk. I agree about assigned reading, too. I don't think I -ever- read an assigned book in class in high school. It's like art... I used to love to draw, but then I took courses in college. I just didn't like being assigned to be artistic. It actually kind of got me to stop drawing at all.


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

Jessica Billings said:


> Does reading necessarily need to provide educational value? The more important things to me about reading are: Can I relate to it? Does it leave me feeling entertained? Do I feel like a better/happier person after reading it? Did it change my view of the world/my life in some way?
> 
> Every kid is different, of course, but I don't believe everyone can progress to the same reading level. I worked with one boy who had little to no short-term memory. That means that as he was reading, he would forget everything he read 10 minutes ago. It's nearly impossible to read anything of any length that way and his spelling, grammar, and reading comprehension was miserable compared to the other kids because he would forget everything he understood just moments before. So is he maybe stuck at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level? It's possible. But I do not believe that means he simply cannot become a reader. He is just going to be reading different books than others his age.
> 
> I still can't understand how anyone can say today's youth would rather play video games/surf the Internet/etc. There are a ton of examples here of people in that age range who do a ton of reading. How can you discount all that based on the few people you've encountered or observed? I'm not saying that all kids like to read (or even a majority), but there is a huge number who do.


Yes, I think reading necessarily has to provide educational value to count someone as "a reader." If we count all reading, then everyone is a reader; people that only read facebook are readers, people that only read their bills are readers, people that only read street signs are readers.

I think that with enough time, even that boy can progress to the next level, even if he will never be at the level of an average person his age. It may take most of his life, it may take him taking some sort of medication that is developed in the future or finding a method of learning that works for him, but unless he had some sort of injury that caused this to be recent, he is obviously able to learn - he learned to read at the 2ed/3rd grade level, he learned to talk, etc.

Just as I can not judge everyone by what I have seen, I can not judge everyone by what you guys have seen. Are there some youth that read? Yes. Do most of them? I don't think so. I think that people on a forum about an ereader are certainly going to be associated with youth that read. However from going to other forums and talking to people with various hobbies, it does not seem to me that many do.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

s0nicfreak said:


> Yes, I think reading necessarily has to provide educational value to count someone as "a reader." If we count all reading, then everyone is a reader; people that only read facebook are readers, people that only read their bills are readers, people that only read street signs are readers.
> 
> I think that with enough time, even that boy can progress to the next level, even if he will never be at the level of an average person his age. It may take most of his life, it may take him taking some sort of medication that is developed in the future or finding a method of learning that works for him, but unless he had some sort of injury that caused this to be recent, he is obviously able to learn - he learned to read at the 2ed/3rd grade level, he learned to talk, etc.
> 
> Just as I can not judge everyone by what I have seen, I can not judge everyone by what you guys have seen. Are there some youth that read? Yes. Do most of them? I don't think so. I think that people on a forum about an ereader are certainly going to be associated with youth that read. However from going to other forums and talking to people with various hobbies, it does not seem to me that many do.


Even I have said that there might be a majority of youth who do not read (without actually studying it though, there is NO way to tell. All we are doing is guessing and making wild conjectures). But the problem is the general statements that youth would rather play video games, or that the youth of America no longer read. There are a LOT of people who do not fall under that blanket statement and I find it insulting to be included in there.

I consider a reader to be someone who reads books/stories for fun. Maybe we have a different definition of educational. I don't consider a lot of the books I read to be educational because I'm not learning anything new from them (maybe I'm even re-reading an old book over again), but I'm still taking time out of my day to sit down and drift into another world with fictional characters and made-up plots. I'll take your example of Twilight again. Is an adult who LOVES YA and spends hours every day reading it not a reader?


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

Jessica Billings said:


> Even I have said that there might be a majority of youth who do not read (without actually studying it though, there is NO way to tell. All we are doing is guessing and making wild conjectures). But the problem is the general statements that youth would rather play video games, or that the youth of America no longer read. There are a LOT of people who do not fall under that blanket statement and I find it insulting to be included in there.


Okay, I apologize; I thought "most" was implied, but now I see I was mistaken. I meant to say it seems to me that most youth want to play video games and such. And I mean no offense by it, especially since I am a 25 year old that both plays video games and reads.



> I consider a reader to be someone who reads books/stories for fun. Maybe we have a different definition of educational. I don't consider a lot of the books I read to be educational because I'm not learning anything new from them (maybe I'm even re-reading an old book over again), but I'm still taking time out of my day to sit down and drift into another world with fictional characters and made-up plots.


The same is true of myself; I read plenty of things that are purely entertainment. But think about TV; there are some educational things on TV, and TV can be used as a tool to teach. However, watching Hannah Montana all day, while entertaining to some, will not educate you. If you want to spend all day watching Hannah Montana, well good for you, that's your choice, but I'm not going to say your day was just as well spent as someone that watched Hannah Montana once and then watched educational shows the rest of the day.



> I'll take your example of Twilight again. Is an adult who LOVES YA and spends hours every day reading it not a reader?


If something far below their reading level is all they ever read I would not consider them a reader.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

s0nicfreak said:


> If something far below their reading level is all they ever read I would not consider them a reader.


Interesting! I'm not saying you're wrong, we all have different definitions of things. I've just never thought of readers like that before. I can understand your earlier points better now. I've always figured anyone who their free time reading - whether it's nonfiction, fantasy, short stories, YA, etc. was a reader. I know there are quite a few people on the forum who prefer reading YA (there's an entire thread dedicated to it in the Book Corner) because of the issues it presents and the snappier style of writing. Some of the books that have most affected my life and fired up my love of reading have been YA books, like The Hunger Games (and I know many adults are crazy about Harry Potter).

Out of curiosity, what do you consider educational? Are there any genres (besides under your reading level) that you would consider not educational? I remember when I was a little kid, my mom called some of the books I read "candy books" because they were so simple and repetitive, like Sweet Valley Twins, The Babysitter Club, etc. I imagine that would be the TV equivalent of Hannah Montanna, haha.


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## s0nicfreak (Jun 10, 2010)

Well I think all books are educational in the right circumstances. For example the babysitters club books are at the 4th - 5th grade reading level, so if someone uses the drive to read those books to progress to the 4th and then 5th grade reading level, they are educational. If one of the books brings up an issue that the reader then goes and talks to a parent about and they learn something from that discussion, I would consider that the book assisted in that education and was therefore educational. However if someone progresses to the 5th grade reading level and then refuses to attempt to progress any further and refuses to use that 5th grade reading level to read any other books, in my opinion they then cease to be educational. So I guess I am saying that imo it is not what you read, but how you read it.


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## Karen (Feb 12, 2009)

My 19 yr old son loves to read, but my 17 yr daughter will only read for school assignments.  She has a friend the same age who is an avid reader.


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## klenart (Dec 4, 2010)

s0nicfreak said:


> I mean no offense by it, especially since I am a 25 year old that both plays video games and reads.


I'm also not knocking video games unconditionally. I play quite a lot of them as well. Certain genres are very stimulating to the mind, if not downright educational. Strategy games, adventures, simulations, and many other categories have stolen away many hours of my life and I don't regret it. I think in some ways, the interactivity afforded by video games makes them a better choice than simply sitting back and watching a movie.

However, I also know some people that play 20+ hours of video games a week all consisting of blasting each other to smithereens in storyless multiplayer battlefields. I personal find very little redeeming value in those hours spent unless one wants to argue that it's better to go off into cyberspace and kill 1000 strangers virtually, that it relieves stress that might otherwise manifest into actual world violence. But, that's a whole other topic itself....

In the end though, I don't pass judgement on what anyone wishes to do with their free time. After all it is theirs not mine. So although I may be amazed by certain behavior, as long as it's not harming someone else I just ignore it. Conversely though if I was approached by someone who wanted to debate the intellectual merits of playing a video game over reading a good book, then I'd take the fight to them.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Interesting conversation... if you were to see my kids on a plane, they would most likely have their DS games with them. Or the travel DVD players. We travel so rarely and it's a treat for them. Books are an everyday occurrence here, the TV and video games are outlawed during the week so they can concentrate on school work. They play outside or with the neighbor kids or they read. Every night, they read for at least 30 minutes or so when they are lounging in bed.

Not everything is as it seems, I guess, is my point... 

I also don't really care WHAT they read. I have a friend that won't let her kid read certain books. Like, Wimpy Kid. Ya know, I don't care that it's "junk reading" and I don't care that it has comics in it. So what? They are reading! And they have gotten countless kids to pick up a book - and to even write their own! So yeah, my 7 and 10 year old don't always read at their "real" reading level, but ya know what? My 10 year old can spell like crazy and my 7 year old has an amazing vocabulary (she has my K2 and loves the dictionary function).


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

I cannot agree that reading must be educational, except in the loosest possible sense. I read for several reasons. Occasionally, to be educated. But mostly I read for entertainment. I enjoy a good story. I started reading the Harry Potter books when I was in my mid fifties because they're a good, entertaining story. I guess you could say I received a bit of education from them as I noticed the growth of the characters as the books progressed. But I also read Zane Gray, Louis L'Amour, Tom Clancey, James Michener (wish more of his books were available for the Kindle!), not to be educated, but to relax, to enjoy a good tale; probably for the same reasons that early man gathered around the community fire in the evening or in the local inn - to listen to the storyteller or the bard spin a good, entertaining tale.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

HappyGuy said:


> James Michener (wish more of his books were available for the Kindle!),


I agree 100% here.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

My brother-in-law is in his late thirties or early forties and can remember every book he has read since high school.  Three.  He says that it's more than all his friends.  So it isn't just youth who don't read.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I think birds of a feather flock together. My friends read. My sister and her friends don't. My parents don't understand how I became such a reader because they weren't. But they're happy that I am.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I love to read.  I read just about everything I could get my hands on growing up.  My 3 boys don't read.  Two of them have asperger's syndrome, and the third has ADHD.  I can see why they don't like to read.  It's very hard for them.

My daughter, on the other hand, is in 1st grade and is just learning how to read.  She loves it!  Yay!  I am thrilled.

I think there will always be youth who love to read, and youth who hate it.  That's just life.

Vicki


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## Pinworms (Oct 20, 2010)

High School makes me think bad things about reading.  The books I was forced to read were so dull, and the analysis and essays so tedious, that I'm not surprised when people say they think reading is boring.


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## cc84 (Aug 6, 2010)

I dont know many people who read to be honest. I'm 26 and have been reading since i was a small child. When i was about 6 i won a reading competition at school and won lots of books that i still have somewhere. My parents aren't readers, my brother and sister aren't readers either so i'm not sure where i get it from. But i've just always loved reading. 

One thing i do love though is that my 7 year old nephew loves reading. He's Autistic, but he's a really good reader. He loves anything to do with letters also. We have a tv show here called Countdown, and contestants choose Vowels and Consonants until they have 9 jumbled up letters and they have 30 seconds to make a word out of it and when they do he shouts the words out and laughs and then repeats it until he's pronounced it properly. His 5yr old brother is also getting good at spelling and such, i'm hoping he will love reading also. 

But although i dont now many people that read i think they are out there, in all age groups. Like people have said here, i think every age group has people that either love reading or dont.


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## jesscscott (Aug 5, 2009)

I think it depends -- there are older people (not teens or young adults) who don't read much either, for various reasons (too busy, not interested, etc.).

So I think it'll depend on the specific demographic factors (age + location + educational background, etc.) that one looks at, instead of "the mass" across the board


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