Why Americans Stopped Reading Books

The kids canãt read. Such has been the impliôÙcaôÙtion, even the decôÙlaôÙraôÙtion, made by a wave of artiôÙcles in recent years. But the stateôÙment needs some qualôÙiôÙfiôÙcaôÙtion: the kids in quesôÙtion are AmerôÙiôÙcan; what they canãt read is entire books, espeôÙcialôÙly litôÙerôÙary ficôÙtion; and it isnãt just the kids in the first place. It would be the rare readôÙer, espeôÙcialôÙly of a site like Open CulôÙture, who could resist feelôÙing any despair when conôÙfrontôÙed with, say, a study findôÙing that only five perôÙcent of colôÙlege EngôÙlish majors testôÙed could underôÙstand the openôÙing of Bleak House. But the real probôÙlem is broadôÙer, as reflectôÙed by the framôÙing of the Jared HenôÙderôÙson video above, ãWhy EveryôÙone Stopped ReadôÙing.ã HenôÙderôÙson points to sevôÙerôÙal explanaôÙtoôÙry facôÙtors. The first is the way many AmerôÙiôÙcan schools teach readôÙing: for a time, they abanôÙdoned the method of phonôÙics, which starts with basic indiôÙvidôÙual sounds and builds from there, and went all in on someôÙthing called ãwhole lanôÙguage learnôÙing,ã which was based on teachôÙing stuôÙdents to ãinfer the meanôÙings of words from conôÙtext.ã The idea was that, rather than relyôÙing on rote drilling, the new sysôÙtem could culôÙtiôÙvate a natôÙurôÙal love for readôÙing in young stuôÙdents. ãThe only probôÙlem is that whole lanôÙguage learnôÙing didôÙnãt work,ã and the resultôÙing drop in litôÙerôÙaôÙcy rates sureôÙly has someôÙthing to do with the draôÙmatôÙic falloff of readôÙing in genôÙerôÙal. OthôÙer U.S. eduôÙcaôÙtionôÙal reforms, such as the nationôÙwide push toward short inforôÙmaôÙtionôÙal texts and stanôÙdardôÙized testôÙing, which priôÙorôÙiôÙtized inforôÙmaôÙtion extracôÙtion over texôÙtuôÙal engageôÙment, must also share the blame. This has proôÙduced an abunôÙdance of, to borôÙrow the headôÙline of Rose HorowôÙitchãs much-cirôÙcuôÙlatôÙed Atlantic piece from 2024, ãElite ColôÙlege StuôÙdents Who Canãt Read Books.ã Those same stuôÙdents, of course, have all come of age in the time of the smartôÙphone, which does proôÙvide us with an ãendôÙless stream of text,ã albeit of low-to-nonexôÙisôÙtent litôÙerôÙary merôÙit ã to say nothôÙing of the infiôÙnite scroll of hyper-stimôÙuôÙlatôÙing short-form videos absorbôÙing ever-greater proôÙporôÙtions of daiôÙly life, and not just that of the young. ãAmerôÙiôÙcans, once memôÙbers of a proudôÙly litôÙerôÙate sociôÙety, read much less than they used to,ã writes HorowôÙitch in a new, in-depth piece on the counôÙtryãs ãpost-litôÙerôÙaôÙcy.ã ãFewôÙer than half of all adults reportôÙed havôÙing read a book of any kind in 2022. Only 38 perôÙcent read a novôÙel or short stoôÙry.ã At the same time, ãgamôÙbling has become a more comôÙmon leisure activôÙiôÙty than readôÙing a book: Last year, 57 perôÙcent of AmerôÙiôÙcans placed a bet.ã The now-mainôÙstream notion that AmerôÙiôÙca (and, in time, the world) is revertôÙing from a texôÙtuôÙal to an oral culôÙture was first foreôÙseen by the likes of MarôÙshall McLuhan, Neil PostôÙman, and WalôÙter J. Ong. But many here in the twenôÙty-first cenôÙtuôÙry might hear their conôÙdiôÙtion described in a more relatôÙable fashôÙion by David Bowie, in his Tin Machine periôÙod, nearôÙly forty years ago. RelatôÙed conôÙtent: The Virtue of OwnôÙing Books You Havenãt Read: Why UmberôÙto Eco Kept an ãAntiliôÙbraryã Based in Seoul, ColôÙin Marshall writes and broadôÙcasts on cities, lanôÙguage, and culôÙture. Heãs the author of the newsletôÙter Books on Cities as well as the books ÚõçÙ šš§ õ¡šÏ (No SumôÙmaôÙrizôÙing Korea) and KoreôÙan Newtro. FolôÙlow him on the social netôÙwork forôÙmerôÙly known as TwitôÙter at @colinmarshall. Born in 1975, I grew up as a kid that didôÙnãt like readingãÎit turned out I just didôÙnãt like readôÙing BOOKS. I can read someôÙthing online just fine, and love doing so. Thereãs someôÙthing about the mediôÙum of a paper book that just doesôÙnãt gel with me. Iãve tried readôÙing ficôÙtion, schoolôÙbooks, techôÙniôÙcal manôÙuôÙals, it just irriôÙtates me too much to get past a sinôÙgle chapôÙter. I think it might be an eye coorôÙdiôÙnaôÙtion thing, as the probôÙlem starts to give me a headache after I read a litôÙtle bit. I start movôÙing my hands, my back, whatôÙevôÙer, to try and get the headache to subôÙside, but after about 20 minôÙutes, I just close the book and start rubôÙbing my foreôÙhead. But you take that same book and put it into a PDF, and Iãm hooked. I for examôÙple, love TTRPGs. I startôÙed with one of the most voluôÙmiôÙnous RPGs ever: PalôÙlaôÙdiôÙum Booksã RIFTS. Itãs well over 100 books in the 30+ years of its life. And if you count the RIFTERS, that goes past 250 books. But I couldôÙnãt realôÙly get past it at first, until I was able to read those books as PDFs. Now, Iãll crack open those books just to enjoy a quiôÙet day. We need to stop tryôÙing to get peoôÙple to read BOOKS, and figôÙure out WHY they have a probôÙlem readôÙing. For some, it might not be as simôÙple as ãI donãt wanôÙnaãÎã is that supôÙposed to be an explaôÙnaôÙtion? I think its that the traôÙdiôÙtionôÙal books in schools such as to Kill a MockôÙingôÙbird, AdvenôÙtures of HuckôÙleôÙberôÙry Finn, etc. donãt interôÙest the kids today. Loved to read when I was younger and still do, but I picked what I had an interôÙest in. PerôÙhaps if schools curatôÙed such an up to date list itãd help. Just reread a book by an author I like, TimeôÙline by michael crichôÙton and startôÙed the audioôÙbook for Dooku, Jedi Lost and so far its pretôÙty good. 15 secôÙond comôÙmerôÙcials help fracôÙture attenôÙtion spans. Between tv shows they show up to twelve 15 secôÙond comôÙmerôÙcials, each with their own music, images and theme. Iãm an old guy who was taught phonôÙics and urged to read whole books. In eleôÙmenôÙtary school the teachôÙers ditched Dick and Jane and got us McGufôÙfey ReadôÙers. LookôÙing at old eleôÙmenôÙtary school textôÙbooks from my grandôÙfaôÙther and great uncles the levôÙel of readôÙing comôÙpreôÙhenôÙsion and mathôÙeôÙmatôÙiôÙcal skills for those in the first five grades was far beyond the stuff kids now are expectôÙed to know. No wonôÙder kids canãt read, canãt make change when they get their first jobs at a store, and are basiôÙcalôÙly illitôÙerôÙate. I comôÙpleteôÙly disôÙagree with comôÙmerôÙcials hurtôÙing attenôÙtion spans. I am an avid readôÙer and my tv is on all day, my favorite part is the comôÙmerôÙcials. I easôÙiôÙly finôÙish a book a day if Iãm interôÙestôÙed in the book. It is all a matôÙter of what peoôÙple are into. My grandôÙson will read aniôÙme and a few advenôÙture chapôÙter books, my grandôÙdaughôÙter will read anyôÙthing she can get her hands on, includôÙing the back of any box or bag or basiôÙcalôÙly anyôÙthingãÎ My own kids.ãÎ I had an avid readôÙer and a non readôÙerãÎ I totalôÙly agree with this. I have a goal of 100/year and easôÙiôÙly meet that goal either by readôÙing or books on tape if on a long flight/drive. Yes, I have a comôÙputôÙer and phone and noticed in the past 8 years I am easôÙiôÙly disôÙtractôÙed by phone or the plethoôÙra of streamôÙing options. As a result, I now have daiôÙly goals to read ãXã pages in a week or month dependôÙing on the book. One would think retireôÙment would make readôÙing easôÙiôÙer but not so, for me. Its only when Iãm on a long flight and held capôÙtive that pages simôÙply fly by, no pun intendôÙed. PerôÙhaps because of the overôÙabunôÙdance of videos, like the one attached to this stoôÙry? IronôÙic.