Young Adults Not Reading

[bunnykicks]

I think that there are a lot of different reasons why young adults aren't reading. I think part of it may be that their parents didn't read, and didn't make it important in their lives.

And then, it's true...reading isn't 'cool'.

I have always been a reader. My parents were and are still readers, my brother and sister read, and every single one of my friends like to read.

I also agree that a lot of young adults don't read because of what and how they read in school. I hated reading in school because every single one of my English teachers had this annoying knack of completely destroying it by dissecting every possible angle and symbolic whatever and metaphor and this and that and the other thing. i was always like, "Can't you just let it be great literature? Can't there be mutual discussion of what it means to us instead of what it's supposed to mean?" I hated that. You can't impress meaning upon students without them feeling it. I like reading in college a lot better, because a lot of what we do is talk about what it means to us. The professor still manages to put in all the info they want us to know...but it's different.

I also think that some teenagers and young adults read because of the life that they live. It almost seems to me that young adults who live different lives like to read to see what more normal people are like. or maybe read to find comfort in the fact that there are other weird people out there. But that's just my own little theory.

[lifelongreader]

I agree that teens don't see reading as cool, but we as adults have to try to change that perception.

In my classes I encourage them to read at the start of every lesson for 10-15 minutes, we discuss books, recommend books to each other, and swap them around.

When we do a book in class, we just read selections and then do some activities based on what we read - the last thing we did was Holes and my students worked on a wiki for that - you can see the stuff we did here. They spent 5 weeks on it and are no longer members, so it is now static and will no longer change.

We did not analyse every character etc - we enjoyed the book and then did some fun activities about certain areas which were connected to the book in some way, eg palindromes, wacky inventions etc.

I would like to think that my students will be LLRs (Lifelongreaders) as we make reading fun and interesting.

I recommend books and even magazines that will interest them - eg one of my students is a keen sailor so I recommended Midget by Tim Bowler, which is all about sailing.

[Anna!]

I think that the love of reading is developed at a young age. I remember my dad reading with me a lot and he also read great bedtime stories to me too. I think that being introduced to interesting books at a really young age was what started my love of reading. I remember borrowing huge piles of books from the library at about 2nd or 3rd grade (it was around 15-20 at a time). So really, by the time we reach high school when we begin to analyse books in depth, I think that for a lot of people (I'm not saying everyone!) they will already have developed that interest or not. Personally, I never really liked analysing books but that never discouraged me from reading just for the joy of it because I had already developed that relationships with books before the essays began rolling in.

[haylesd]

i'm in college at the moment and i'm reading more than ever. i did find it hard to read while i was doing assignments but i did find the time. NONE of my friends at college read which is quite annouying, especially when i want to discuss a book i have read. only one friend (who is at uni on the side of the country) reads the same books as i do, so we only discuss books every couple of months.
and i also have to say that the few people who i do know who read are intelligent while the others who don't read do have lower logic capabilities. and reading should be encouraged throughout teens and should not be forced to read poetry and other boring books. its too late for this generation (full of stupid chavs!) but the next gen still have a chance to be intelligent!

[NSUSA]

Why do teens not think reading is cool? How did reading get to be thought of us uncool?

[booklover85]

I think the reason young adults don't read anymore (or as much) is because it's not suggested as something you can do when you're bored. What is advertised? Video games, movies, tv, etc. When it's Friday night after a long week at school, most kids aren't going to want to read a book. That and kids really don't read anymore for school either, what with Sparknotes and Cliff Notes summarizing every book out there. Why does Harry Potter have to be summarized?

I don't see it getting better either; have any of you seen the commercials that these game industries are using? In order to get children to read, they are putting out games geared towards learning how to read (sort of like computer games). I think the best way to get a child to learn how to read is not having them sit in front of a glaring television screen, but instead have them sit with a parent and read out loud (or having the parent read out loud next to the child.

[Hoops4me2]

I think the best way to get teenagers to read is to start them with some good magazines or the newspaper. That is what I read as a teenager.

[mmenzel]

I think the only thing we can do is share our love of books with them and hope they will give reading a try. I have a co-worker (young enough to be my daughter) who said she didn't like to read. I found out that she liked scary movies so I loaned her a couple of horror books and she was surprised to find she liked them. I think she had gotten turned off to reading in school because she didn't like the literature or classics that she was asked to read. We just have to keep trying to get them to see how great reading is.

[Syrcco44]

Yeah, it's sad. People would rather to listen to the same song on their ipod or beat the score on a videogame then read... I actually have a friend like this. They are deprived people. Reading is great - it makes one smarter and it's just better for you. People think I'm all smart and such because I use "big words" or I write well - but I attribute it all to reading - it has helped me gain so much that videogames, ipods, TV and techonolgy could never offer. And that's the truth. It's too bad some people think it's useless. Quite ignorant if you ask me. (Of course reading isn't for everyone but people should realize that it does have immense value.)

[Gard]

I love reading as much as i love watching films or listening to music. Some people are just not programmed to read. But that can changed. In my early teens i never used to read. But one day i was given a book which i started to read and i couldn't put it down and ever since i have loved to read. I do go through periods of not reading much but this may be down to the fact that i am away or busy.

[Tracey Neal]

I've been reading since I was a small child, my choice. But even before modern technology advanced to where it is today(video games,etc.) there has always been a problem with younger people reading, or just people in general (at any age). I mean alot of society reads, alot choose not to. I guess to each his own I suppose. But as a book lover I would say to anyone, no matter their age, to give reading a chance. It opens so many fruitful doors to knowledge and wisdom..insight into the world of real and make believe..the gateway into ones own imagination, feeding your brain is never a bad thing. So feed it!! Read a book...or two Then go kick sum ass on your PS3...or in my case a PS3 and a XB360

[Eric]

I work at a Job Corps Center dormitory with males between the ages of 16 to 24. Out of the hundreds of young adults I work with, only a handful read at all. I've repeatedly tried to encourage them to read by trying to start book clubs, poetry readings, etc., but to no avail. I've tried to focus on authors/books/subjects that might interest them, especially focusing on the writings of Black and Hispanic authors. No interest.

I then rationalized that this generation is more visual, so I tried showing films that are both interesting and educational, like "Pinero" (based on the life of Puerto Rican playwright Miguel Pinero), "Slam" (spoken word poet Saul Williams plays a prisoner who discovers his gift for poetry), and Spike Lee's "Malcolm X". Still no interest.

The part that really depresses me is that I always have students telling me that "there's nothing to do"!! It seems that the primary forms of entertainment in their world are video games and watching "Scarface" for the thirtieth time.

A couple of students, though, have shown an interest in reading and have borrowed books from me. I even have one student reading a collection of stories by Julio Cortazar and watching Pedro Almodovar movies!

[jenmcd]

There was a survey on the news here in Ireland last week that siad Irish families are more likely to pay for cable TV subscriptions than buy books. NOT an issue in this house - I am constantly having to buy new shelves and storage units to fit in more books.

I have always just assumed that most people even if they don't read themsleves at least read with their children but apparantly thats not the case. My neighbours kids stare at our bookshelves when they come into my house like an alien spaceship has just landed in our living room.

My kids (all under 6) are all great readers. My 2 year old spends his days throwing books at me and telling me to READ. The main reason why I hang on to most of my books is that I want to have them available to them as they get older.

[myecubby]

I think it should be redefined. Young adults in college are reading more than ever before. In institutions where the books are stronger than the professors, and a student must read the book to pass the class, young adults are having to read much more.

Reading so much required work often desensitizes students from reading to a point where they dislike it- where it isn't "fun" anymore.

[Scott]

I think the loss of interest in reading starts younger, and the sad habit of not reading increases as the kids get older. That's why I wrote the short article, How to Get Kids Interested in Reading. Namely, I would recommend helping young children find books that interest them, and not forcing them to read books they don't want to read or otherwise making reading seem like a chore. Most of all, I would bet that adults not reading in front of their children and with their children is the main cause. Adults are role models whether they want to be or not.