DISQUS

Curmudgeon · 1 year ago

To read books, you need an imagination to see that picture that the author has painted for you. The story excites you to where you can see the characters and interact with them yourself in your mind. I guess I'd argue that this was always a less common skill; reading was an elitist pasttime in much of our history (although I suspect that I'm using elitist in a different way than noted in your post). Today, of course, the other diversions are greater, with TV/DVRs, Internet, video games, and so on.

I think college was important for me. I grew up in a household that afforded me few social skills and no world view. Half of the men in my high school graduating class went to work in the local steel mill, as their fathers did. College was a way out, and it was a way to begin growing a world view. I'm not sure I had it in my to do that on my own.

I enjoyed the post. Thank you.

Steve @ bripblap · 1 year ago

Curmudgeon, I guess what I'd ask was whether going to college was the only way out. In 99% of cases it's probably the most obvious way out a small town, or a less-intellectually-curious environment. But the opposite certainly isn't true - living in a highly educated city, working with (almost solely) college graduates I'm amazed that fewer people "got out." Many of the corporate workers I work might be less intellectually curious about the world around them than your average steel mill worker...

Curmudgeon · 1 year ago

Interesting question. There may be no correlation between education and intellectual curiosity. I could have been a steelworker (though not any more; the mill has long since closed) that frequented the local Carnegie Public Library (as I did as a teen).

But there is a very specific culture in a company town, too (even today; try the Walmart HQ). You can't grow intellectually very much unless you can break out of that and live other cultures.

plonkee · 1 year ago

I generally think that I don't read that many books. But I do love to read, I can't imagine life without books.

I don't get how reading a book is immature, although I do think that reading a newspaper is also fun, and of course blogs are great. Don't these people crave a longer, more detailed piece of writing to get their teeth into?

I also can't imagine not being curious about the world. Guess I'm a born/made reader and that's not likely to change.

Writer's Coin · 1 year ago

Whenever I find myself in a rut, be it creative or otherwise, I usually find that I haven't been reading as much as usual. So that's a clear sign right there of how reading affects me.

WealthBoy · 1 year ago

I'm not so sure that intellectual curiosity begins to wane as one gets older. I think that modern day media has taken a big bite out of the market share that books once had. I believe that engaging in intelligent, interactive discussions with others online is just as healthy for stimulating intellectual curiosity as reading a book.

Steve @ bripblap · 1 year ago

WealthBoy (and plonkee), I couldn't agree more - books certainly don't have a monopoly on being "smart." I've read some amazing stuff online, and I've read thought-provoking newspaper articles. I think staying open to new media is a key sign of intellectual curiosity, too. Many of these same people who think reading a book is "too hard" are certainly never going to be dipping their toes into Digg, or blogs, or twitter. Why? Is it genetic, or does education sometimes beat the intellectual curiosity out of brains? I'm not sure...

FFB · 1 year ago

Those are indeed some scary statistics! I love reading too. I've easily read more outside of school than in it. It's great that you share your love of reading with your kids. I think that will have a positive influence later on in their lives.

We've become something of a society that is proud of it's ignorance. We don't need no books, we're "keeping it real!" As Chris Rock said "Real ignorant!"

Maybe it has something to do with the school system? It's so driven by standardized tests that the joy of learning and imagination are driven out of a child. When they finally finish school they don't want to associate with anything that may seem scholarly.

Steve @ bripblap · 1 year ago

FFB, I think you've hit on something worries me a lot - maybe it's the schools. Part of it, as Curmudgeon mentioned, is just that there is a lot of competition for the average person's attention these days. Thomas Jefferson might have plopped down on the couch for an occasional guilty peek at "CSI" (one of the most godawful shows I have ever seen) if he had had the choice. But our school systems definitely don't seem to encourage reading for fun - reading is viewed as a testing skill, something to master and then move on. In my schools growing up, we were asked to read FOR FUN during recess, and we did. It took until high school, when I was forced to read and then be graded on "comprehension" that my burning desire to read started fading. Fortunately I recovered it, but I had a few English "teachers" who did their best to make me hate the printed word.

deepali · 1 year ago

I was a bit alarmed when I saw those statistics. As far as I know, my mother (a physician) has not picked up a book since she was 16. She actually dismissed my love of reading when I was a kid - in her mind, it was "escapism". Of course, it didn't help that I wasn't actually grounded in reality when I was younger. Wait, I'm still not. :)
In any case, I don't know if people who don't read lack intellectual curiosity. I think there can be other ways to satisfy that need (my mother is experiential, for example). But I do think they lack an ability to think in the abstract and the potential. It would be interesting to see the MBTI results for readers and nonreaders.

bubelah · 1 year ago

My sister is a doctor as well and she hasn't read a book or any kind of literature that is not related to her medical field, probably, in a few years now. She has no time or desire, or both...

guinness416 · 1 year ago

I don't think you're going to get much argument from your subscribers - you may as well have suggested that wine isn't one of the major food groups. In my case I have a separate del.icio.us account for my capsule book reviews :)

Mind you, my husband L has never read for fun (English isn't is first language so he gets frustrated) but he seems an order of magnitude more curious than his well-read missus. He just prefers the interview approach and the experience approach to the read about it approach.

There are other stats I've seen published recently in Irish media (although I think they're american) which show that women read in free time much, much more than men for most age groups. That's pretty consistent with my experience.

bubelah · 1 year ago

Since English is a second language for me as well, some books are not pleasant to read. But if a book well written and the language is simple, I love it. I would say that I read more English books than Russians overall.

bubelah · 1 year ago

I am glad that Steve and I both love to read. Not the same books and the same genre, but nevertheless. Now our son who is 2.5 y.o. loves books. He can pick up a book that we read to him 3000 times and recite by memory as if he is reading. Sometimes he gets so quiet when he is flipping through a book and has this intense look on his face. It's cute. I hope he doesn't grow out of it. My love of books, I believe, came from my father. My mom is not big on reading books, mostly magazines. But because of my dad she reads too. She would never go to a library for a new book unless my dad brings some home. However, all my childhood memories are mostly about my mom reading books to us. Maybe it is because she spent more time with us than my dad who traveled for business a lot.

FFB · 1 year ago

I love that intense look that young kids get when they are absorbing something and figuring out how it works. I've seen my son get that staring at a rock. I hope my kids always get that look! I think it's that type of curiosity that's missing in a lot of people these days.

Bill · 1 year ago

Wow, those are startling statistics (did you know that 82.7 percent of all statistics are made up? I made that up)! My wife and I, too, read to our very young children, and have done so since before they were born. I guess we like to read and want to inspire the same in our kids.

retiredsyd · 1 year ago

I also cringe at the mocking of a political candidate for being "elitist" or "too intellectual"--as if being smart and accomplished is a bad thing. And the answer to the retort that the other candidate is elitist in his own way for owning so many houses he can't count? That's the American way--it's part of the American Dream to make so much money you have so much stuff you can't even remember how much stuff you have. THAT we can relate to, but not being smart.

Money Matters · 1 year ago

It really is scary to read those stats. What is the solution? Making reading fun by handing out free Amazon Kindle ebook readers to all graduates?

When I read the part in your post about having your parents read the hobbit to you, and the lord of the rings trilogy - it mirrored my own experience. My mom and dad would read to me from those books (along with C.S. Lewis Narnia series) just about every night. I remember being giddy with anticipation waiting to hear the next chapter. I can only hope to have that same experience with my future children.

Steve @ bripblap · 1 year ago

There is no solution. I'll be frank: we've had people who love to learn and people who hate to learn throughout history. Some people will never, ever be interested in learning unless dragged, kicking and screaming. It's not that big a deal, in a way. My biggest hope for my kids is that we (my wife, relatives, the schools) don't hinder any of their natural curiosity about the world, but if they are given every opportunity to love knowledge, but don't, in the end, what more could you do?

Narnia's a great series, too (CS Lewis was a brilliant guy, AND wrote some great fiction).

Jon · 1 year ago

I wonder if there's a connection between an early love of reading and a later life interest in PF?
I, too, have early memories of reading The Hobbit, LoTR, Narnia and the Oz books.
My wife and I are both avid readers, with extremely eclectic tastes, though I prefer SF and Fantasy above all. We read to our children all through their early years, and they both had good reading skills in school, but neither of them reads for pleasure now that they are adults, unfortunately. I think there's just too much competition for their attention that doesn't require a lot of imagination to visualize characters, scenery, etc.

thisisbeth · 1 year ago

In regards to what you said about intellectual curiosity, I thought of this: Whenever people talk about problems in the classroom, etc., my dad always says, "You can't stop a child from learning." His point being, no matter what type of teacher your child has, no matter what sort of curriculum the school has, any child who wants to learn will learn--he/she will find a way to learn what they want to learn.

(I grew up without television; my parents didn't have one. Trips to the library were AWESOME.)

Dividend Growth Investor · 1 year ago

A mind is a terrible thing to waste..

Vin Breau · 1 year ago

I'm a college drop out. i also like to think I am autodidact. I don't think my real education began until I quit school and started working in a book store. I am now far more curious about subjects that I was once bored with: History being a fine example. The older I get the more I read.

I work for one of those big computer companies (I won't say which one) and only ever see 2-3 people out of the several thousand that I work with ever crack a book. I grew up thinking people read, but now I see that only a very small percentage read with any regularity and if my corporate microcosm bears any semblance to the society it exists within, almost nobody reads.

Yesterday a guy came by my cube to make fun of the fact I was reading. he made the joke that he thought it was funny that I would sit around all these computers an read antiquated books. He made an effort to look at me as if there was something wrong with me.

Curmudgeon · 1 year ago

Weird. Probably the same people who have the bumper stickers that say "My son can beat up your honor student."

Steve @ bripblap · 1 year ago

Vin, Curmudgeon: Good ones. Vin, that's EXACTLY what I was getting at - it's startling that people think reading a book is an effort or just weird.... I can't even get my brain around it, to be honest. And the kind of parent who would get that bumper sticker - well, I hope they are just a crazy cut-up comedian and not a psycho ass, but I suspect the worst...

Curt · 1 year ago

Excellent article. I couldn't agree more. I would add that, information and education is the key to wealth.

Brian · 1 year ago

I know exactly what you mean. My dad always told me to carry a book with you wherever you go. I read while waiting for appointments/meetings. I read during my lunch at the office. And i read during the last bit of my day before i go to sleep. reading for me is about learning and relaxing. I would be soo stressed if it were not for books. I especially love historical books and fantasy. Especially fantasy since i can go off to my own fantasy world and forget for a time all that is worrying me. Reading is skill that you never should stop on your path of life.

Big Winner · 1 year ago

On one hand, a lack of intellectual curiousity is probably bad for a society since it means less innovation. On the other hand, it means less competition and more prosperity for those who are lifelong learners.

Kristin · 1 year ago

I think there is a solution... It's called reading to your kids. Habits that are developed early on have much more endurance.

Arcadia · 1 year ago

I spend most days seeing the delight on young children's faces as they are either read to by an adult, or as they start to learn to read simple words themselves. Unfortunately, that passion for reading does fade in some people, and that, in my opinion, is a terrible shame.

Faye · 1 year ago

Kudos!

At the age of 22, and having finished a graduate degree and other certification classes, I still long to read and satisfy my intellectual curiosity. I always ask, "What about if this happens?" "What about if I do this?" So I turn to the library and read about topic.

I've started reading since I was 2, and I have never looked back. Reading is a great passion of mine, and it is evidenced by the hundreds of books that I own and have read. Funny, how I can't remember a scene of a movie, but I can remember a chapter of a book. I've given up television during college to focus on my major ingredient to increase intellectual capabilities: reading.

It's good that you started your children early in loving books. Although my parents never read a book to me or with me, they have provided me with books all throughout my life.

I am saddened by the facts that you have given. People should read.

Susy · 1 year ago

Scary but true. I read several books a week (thanks to reading speed & comprehension tests while growing up) and I can't imagine not doing it. I'm in the library picking up stacks & stacks every week.

I think people don't read because of TV, no time. And I think you have to read so many bad books in college (I sure did) that is sort of ruins reading. I didn't read a book for a couple years after college.

I'm not sure if reading to your children helps or not, can't hurt. My parents didn't read to me and I have been a voracious reader since I learned to read. DH's mom read books to him and he didn't used to like to read (he's getting into it now that we cancelled our cable and don't have TV).

Patrick · 1 year ago

My parents read to me and I grew to love reading and learning. I have began reading on my own as soon as I could and spent many a late night burning the midnight oil because I couldn't put down a book. "Just one more chapter" is a lie I have been telling myself for years! ;-)

Like some of the commenters in this thread, I don't think there is any one reason for these statistics, but a combination of many factors. Many school systems do primarily teach standardized tests, which destroys the creativity and passion for learning. And many people prefer to be fed by the TV for hours every night.

But I also think that at some point in many people's lives, books became associated with the dread of an upcoming assignment or a test someone wasn't prepared for and people forgot about the magic that books contain.

Personally, I would rather read a book than watch the latest Reality TV show or sitcom. A well-written book makes you part of the story, whereas TV requires little thought and less emotion.

Sean · 1 year ago

College can make people think different thoughts, but only the curious will use those thoughts to think other thoughts. If someones does not read another book in their adult life, did their curiosity peak during college, or did it taper off long ago? When do some kids become clearly less curious than others? I don't know, but the difference in toddlers (and similarity to their parents) can be striking. If curiosity begins at home, then our current deficit is unsettling.