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"Is Reading Going Out Of Fashion?"

I was watching the news earlier, and they had a report on how British students compared to other countries’ students. 15-year-olds took some sort of tests, and they found out that Japan and Finland are top in literacy, science, and maths. Great Britain did quite well, notably beating France and Germany (yes! {:)) in all 3 subjects.

Something a little more depressing however, was when they talked about how we could improve. They talked mostly about Literacy, and said that a THIRD of boys have never read for enjoyment. This also came to my attention a couple of weeks ago, when my German teacher asked how many of us read books (not sure why.) Myself, quite a few girls and about two other boys put their hands up, leaving around half of the class without their hands up. Now I admit, my German class is full of trouble makers, but I still couldn’t believe it.

Never?? A third of boys have NEVER read for enjoyment? No wonder Japan are so much better than us in Literacy in English skills. So these boys (and some girls I’m reckoning,) have never read a book, unless they were made to. I find that very sad. Although I watch a lot of TV, and it does provide great entertainment (sometimes,) books are more special to me. I’ve loved reading my whole life, and I want to be an author when I’m older. This worries me; as technology grows, are books going to go more and more out of fashion?

Books have many advantages over TV. You can use your imagination, and most of the time you can visualise what’s going on in your mind, rather than just looking at it on a screen. Many books are capable of doing what TV and movies are not-describing someone’s feelings. Most movies and most TV programmes have to be full of conversation, where as a book can be mostly descriptions of fellings, places etc. A prime example of this is James Herbert’s The Others, which I have just finished reading. It’s in 1st person, and so much detail is put into the book. There is conversation, but not all that much of it, but he does tell us a lot about his feelings, and what he is seeing and doing.

But this is not an argument against TV, or against movies. I’m just a little worried that books are being pushed out of soceity, in favour of TV, movies or even just going out all the time. It saddens me to think that a third of boys have never experienced the joy of reading a good book. There are so many of them out there! Classics such as The Lord Of The Rings, series’ like the Phillip Pullman trilogy, any book written by Dean Koontz, John Grisham, Steven King (is it Steven or Stephen?) and they have not even been interested in ever reading one of them. When I was 11 I started to collect a series of books called Animorphs. Although I haven’t bought one in a while, I will finish my collection, especially since I’ve got 42 of the 55 or so available. They were absolute brilliance, exactly the sort of thing I liked. I looked forward to the next one coming out, I had a favourite character who I always wanted to do ‘well’ if you know what I mean, and hell, I even wrote my own version!

Books can provide high entertainment and enjoyment, and at a cheap cost. I cannot believe that people are so ignorant (or just plan stupid,) as to not even try reading a book! It makes me sick to my stomach when people say, “Oh no, I only read magazines,” or even just, “No way, reading’s boring.” Perhaps it’s the way they’re brought up, although I know many people who have been brought up just fine, who seemingly can’t be bothered to read. As thought it’s some sort of chore.

So is reading going out of fashion? Are books becoming ‘un-cool’? Well, I certainly hope not, and I would like to think that most people will continue to read, and hopefully bring their children up to read. But at the moment, I don’t think it’s looking too good.

Thanks for reading, Ant.

I read.
I love to read, have so many books at home it's not funny.
Used to just read fiction, Stephen King, Dean R Koontz and the like but recently have found myself getting into non-fiction just as much.
Books I have read in the past month:

Dear Boy - Keith Moon biography
The Lost Continent - Bill Bryson
Spanky - Christopher Fowler
Crossfire:The Plot that killed Kennedy

And there are perennial favourites that I go to time and time again, dog-eared and worn books.

I've always, always read. From being a kid reading Meg & Mog books etc to being told at primary school that I had a reading age 7years ahead of my actual age.
That's not boasting at all, that's just me saying I am a voracious book reader.
I remember at primary school when everyone else was learning to spell and write I was allowed to sit and read Charlotte's Web (my mum had taught me basic reading and writing at home before I went to school so I had a head-start).

And straight after Charlotte's Web I read "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. I was 9 and thought it was another book about animals that talked and stuff. Well, it is about that and then all the other stuff.
So at 9 I was introduced to George Orwell and the notion of power corrupting and here I am today.

I think that book changed my entire view on life, from there on I became a precocious little brat that always asked teacher stuff and answered back. Not to be a smart-ass but to genuinely find stuff out.

Books are one of the most important things we retain as a species. Ancient myths and fables passed down through generations through the medium of story-telling.

Long live books

Ergh!

English A-level is enough to put anyone off reading....


Mill on the Floss? Pah!

I don't read for enjoyment, but that doesn't mean I can't read. I can see the appeal of it, but I'd rather watch a film, to be honest. I can read and write, I took English and passed at an A-Level standard, so the only things I see that books would give me is a story. When I have free time, I read magazines - these give me information. Maybe it's just me, but I'd prefer reading something that I can take on board and soak in, rather than just a story.

Not that I'm saying reading is wrong, I do read every now and again. American Psycho, yuch.

Sibs wrote:
> lol!

I came on this thinking it was about Reading... You know... Reading the
> music festival!

Heh, yeah, it did a bit.

I'm reading Michael Crichton's Timeline at the moment. Full of action, which isn't always good, and his descriptive work is nothing compared to James Herbert. But he seems to have researched a lot, as it's based on past times, and it's a actually a thrilling read.

lol!

I came on this thinking it was about Reading... You know... Reading the music festival!

Maybe that just proved your point, but anyway I do read books. Not an awful lot, but I still do. Anyway, I've got about £15 in book vouchers... I know what my parents are getting for Christmas...

;-)

I think the reaction to the harry potter film.. well, the negative reaction due to the fact that it wasn't different enough to the book is a good sign. I mean how many people will make that complaint when they see LotR, or when they see something like Streetcar named Desire or any other film based on a famous book or play. It shows that reading is enjoying a resurgence. I will always prefer reading to watching films but it's quite close.. At the moment I'm doing an American literature module in English and that means that I get to read a lot any and some brilliant books too. I can recommend Catch-22, the Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye.

I think the main problem with reading is the way we are taught books, or rather examined on them. It is necessary to know a book in stupid amounts of detail so teachers have to dissect the book and brutalise it every lesson. I have been put off Dickens for life after the tedium of studying AS-level "hard times". Fine, I came out with an A, but I cannot stand reading Dickens anymore, and the whole point of having classic books on the syllabus is to maintain their popularity. Harry Potter is gloriously extra-curricular, and hopefully will remain so. I haven't read it but it's wonderful to see that so many children have read it. I was in my school's library when a Harry Potter day was about midway through, and they had packed out the entire library, and there was a queue to check books out. It was a beautiful thing to see: people reading for their own enjoyment.

Okay I go to a private school in bourgeois "utopia", so I don't know if it's the same everywhere but I hope it is. If you start someone on Harry Potter then they are likely to spread their wings and read more challenging novels and eventually the government suits will find that Dickens is popular due to his own merit rather than his imposition on students. It's crazy to think that someone given an hour to write an essay for their GCSE english literature on Great Expectations is going to go away enarmoured with Dickens, and that is sad. If people read for fun rather than obligation you should see a resurgence in reading, and I think Harry Potter is the first step.

People who read usually think the book is better than the movie (this goes for any movie.)

People who don't read usually don't know there wasn't even a book. {:|

I don't read a lot and to be honest I never really did read a lot as a kid. Which I find a shame as there are a lot of great books out there I just never seem to find the time or the effort needed to pick up a book and get stuck in so to speak. I don't think kids are encouraged enough to read at school, I wasn't. Reading is good for you and many find it fun but in this day and age there is a lot more for kids to do which don't require as much effort or many believe to be more "fun". But books do have something special to offer, the ability for you to imagine it the way YOU see it meaning people view the characters differently making them special.

I know I don't read as much as I should but If I do find a good book then I will read it, just wish I didn't have as much Uni work as stuff to do or I would be giving the Lord of the rings books a wee peek.

There is nothing wrong with reading- but in todays society it's just not lived up to smoking pot and wearing Fubu jeans. Still, Im reading a book.

Good point, and a good post. I'm an avid reader, but I asked my mates at school if they were going to see Lord of the Rings. The conversation went briefly like this:

Stryke: You guys gonna go see LotR?
Guys and Gals: Yeah, looks amazing.
Stryke: So you think it'll represent the book well?
Guys and Gals: What?
Stryke: You have read the book?
Guy and Gals: No.
One Guy: Is it a book too (No, he really said this)
Guy: You read too much, Stryke (for I was using a codename)

No joke, they actually said this. I despair sometimes.