Books aren't an inherently superior medium. Honestly, the content that expanded my understanding of the world, the most, was online videos, from progressive, independent media. Taught me about the pro-elite bias of the media, and the problem of big-money in politics.
that doesn't make up for reading comprehension, ability to apply principles of what 1 has read nor of broadening 1's horizons by learning of new ppl & places.
1/2 You comprehend words and concepts. It doesn't matter, if they are written, or not. Same with applying principles. You don't need to be reading books, to do that.
Also, you can learn about people, places, and anything else, with videos. Plus, you get a visual of what's being talked about,
2/2 so you're not just going to be incorrectly imagining something, if you're not familiar with it.
Firing up your imagination/ mental projector, by reading, is probably the best argument for the medium, I think. It seems like that would be good for you.
For all those who struggle to read, I wish to guard against ableist language. There are many ways to self educate or stay on top of recent developments. Some will find that difficult too. Here, why can’t we avoid looking down on those whose lives are so different from ours?
I mostly listen to 3-4 audiobooks/wk (currently re-listening G Edward Griffin’s creature from Jekyll Island ) but I have bought physical versions like Naomi Wolf’s book The Pfizer papers which is not really made for an audio format since it’s lots of charts and graphs and scientific papers.
I have been reading books non-stop since I was 5 years old. On Kindle I have over 3,000 books & have read almost 2,000 of them. When I go to sleep, I listen to audible books.... 📚
I also use https://hoopla.com & read or listen to books for FREE any ebook my Public Library has on its virtual website!
It's a shame, really. There's so many incredible works out there by various authors, and being able to read their stories can really open eyes to the world around them. I'm really glad that I'm a bookworm and book blogger.
I agree. I can't imagine a life without books. I'm usually reading at least one, sometimes more at a time. Our house is full of books and we keep building more shelves.
When it comes to books and books on devices, I prefer actual books. I read all the time, and am ashamed of those in our society who cannot see the chaos before their very eyes.
If you want your children to read. Read them bedtime stories every night & make sure they can see the words. Children often want their favourite story over and over. Read it to them. It's a great way to bond if you don't get much time with them. Also if they see you reading, it will feel normal.
I think this election has very dramatically illuminated the problem of 50% of Americans reading at or below a 6th grade level and a good chunk of the remainder being able to read above that level but functionally illiterate. We collectively failed in the mission of universal literacy and it has cost
I think getting your tax return back should be contingent on proving you’ve read an actual book in the past year. Too many Americans can’t read above a 3rd grade level and such a requirement might change that
My brain feels lethargic if I’m not constantly reading and learning. But with social media and internet publishing you have to be diligent because there’s so much misinformation and lies.
This is actually more true than most people want to admit. There are bad, biased places and sources on the internet, but the same goes for literature. It’s about finding the reliable and up to date sources, wether that’s physical or digital.
Yes, and it's about getting other perspectives and enriching your options. Internet is more at hand and more updated than books, but it doesn't cancel the value of books either.
I agree to an extent, the problem has been compounded lately though due to having to sift through search engines to get the information you want with the added negative of receiving likely misinformation. I find books to be nice, and compact in that regard.
I found misinformation also in a lot of books. What I learned is to take books and internet as just "another perspective", to enrich your horizons, have more options and make better decisions.
Not everyone privileged enough to have time or education to read good but we good people and know lots of stuff. It be rude to talk down on folx who had to work at 13, people who come from bad families, dysleckics, sex workers and others like that. We be learnin our own way
I don't read but I have enough reading comprehension to evaluate this take as elitist and presumptuous. You think fucking Diary of a Wimpy kid is going to keep me informed on current events.
I work in high school and they have banned books like The Diary of Anne Frank. I read it as a child. These kids have no critical thinking skills. Tik-tok fame is the game. Wearing Jordans and having iPhones but can't pass the GED test. This mentality is prevalent in the South.
Banning Anne Frank is physically painful to me. I felt and learned so much about life, history, WWII, courage, the evil of Nazis and hate. It breaks my heart that someone would deny children the chance to something that remarkable.
Do you think that when this person was saying people should read more, they meant that they should be reading children’s books to be informed on current issues? It kinda sounds like you’re upset with a very basic take because it’s about you. People should read. That shouldn’t be controversial.
Sorry I got a job after high school. Being able to lounge around, read, is a privilege. This is what the right says all the time that were holier than thou yuppies who think were smarter than everyone. Saying people who don't have time to read are stupid is classist. Get out of your own ass.
I wouldn’t say that this has to be a knock against you. I agree that most of the people in this thread are being dicks, but that doesn’t change the fact that you should read when you can. I think it’s unfortunate that many people aren’t afforded the time to read, and that’s not their fault. 1/2
But they should still read. It’s like exercising. Everyone should get exercise, but I’m not gonna insult people for not having the time to do it, because that’s not their fault. Sorry if it seemed like I was trying to insult you. I actually agree with what you’re saying.
Unfortunately, I believe we have a bunch of people in this country who never touched a book in high school or out…even though many of them believe they are “Constitution Experts”!
I disagree, I'm an avid reader and I read to both my kids. Neither of them read as adults. On the other side, I never saw either of my parents with a book.
What do you mean by "actual books" because this feels like a veiled diss of e-books or audio books. I do all three so sorry if I read this incorrectly but all 3 of these are actual books 😊 & I've read over 300 this year alone
I read on a kindle i read all the time its actual books i read i feel reading is reading so long as what you read on has all the same words as another format all is good.
I taught collegiate “critical thinking“ for a number of years. I recall looking out over my classes sometimes and thinking “half of you need to take high school over again.”
Libraries are free and if you have a phone you can read on that if you sign up for a library card (I use Libby). You won't get everything, but you'll still get a ton of free e books to read, if you can't make it regularly to the physical library.
When my daughter was in high school she would hand out at the library. We were concerned about what she was doing and whether or not it was such a good idea to spend so much time there.
I often joke about how I was indoctrinated by the heterosexual agenda and how inappropriate it was that, as a 4th grader, I was able to get my hands on a book with a photo of President JFK, my first crush. I often wonder if I would have pursued a masters in history if that photo were of LBJ.
Tbf, LBJ was an excellent president in many ways, and he actually was in the photo with JFK (both in top hats) but he didn’t make my history-loving heart flutter right off the bat like a President Kennedy who died 30 years before I was born. Something I did not know the first time I saw that photo
I have dyslexia and (possible)adhd I can never sit down a read a book or comprehend well it frustrates me to no end. I have been thinking about audiobooks and reading at the same time. Idk. I wish I read more.
Audiobooks are fantastic! No need to read along it counts either way. You can try them free through your local library with Libby. I have ADHD and listen while I clean or get projects done
boy thats sad. as a digital library it really pains me to know that we have lost favor in the age of folks who think they know stuff but have no proof of it when they scream it like experts. sorry but the ID10T team makes me
Call it an attention span the size of a flea or whatever. My problem is that whenever i do try to read my brain doesn't like it. I hate not having any visual references and i can't lose focus otherwise i will forget and restart that entire page like 5 times in a row. That's why i prefer audiobooks.
I was getting straight A's in math and sciences, I was not about to read a story about a White boy so dumb that he got kicked out of multiple boarding schools. I did get straight D's in religion though. Agnostic since 7th grade. That Devil science fiction ya' know.
I won’t judge, my friend! That read was fantastic for me, especially during that phase of life. The thrill of sports, hands-on experience in Vocational Ag, captivating books, and navigating the world of girls kept me on track and out of trouble! The Marines also helped lol.
An anthology textbook. Short stories and novellas, including some of the real classics, like R.U.R. by Karl Capek and A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury.
I have heard of R.U.R. of course since that is where the word ROBOT came from. I had to look up Sound of Thunder. I didn't remember the title but I read that sometime way back when.
I have been reading Science Fiction for 70 years. Good Science Fiction, such as that written by a scientist, can expand your horizons. Unfortunately, it’s getting harder to find.
CATCHER IN THE RYE WAS THE WORST OMFG. I have always been an avid reader, to the point where id read ahead on assigned books and actually go through summer reading lists, but catcher in the rye is one of TWO books i refused to read XD (huckleberry finn was the 2nd)
I became addicted to choose your own adventure books in elementary as well as the Sweet Valley series and the Babysitter’s Club series. Moved out of those in junior high and started reading more advanced books.
In 5th or 6th grade I read A Tale of Two Cities and started Asimov’s I Robot series and the Brontë sisters. I love the feeling of becoming part of a new time and place that I get when reading a good book and that the joy of learning can be endless.
That was the magic of Dune - an entire new world with its own species and human culture was created for me. I waited each month for the next installment to come out in Analog magazine.
I still remember the wonder of learning about the school library, and that I could take home five books, if I wanted. Books that had completely different worlds inside each of them. For free! That began my addiction to reading.
I remember those. Stephen King at 11 with a flashlight under my blankets. Reading the encyclopedia for fun. Now my problem is I have too many books started and not finished.
How did you select the books? I finished 1 Stephen King book. I was not impressed.
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis Taylor
Computer programmer cryofrozen and almost revived a century later. His mind was uploaded. He is put into a space probe as control for a Von Neumann machine.
Simple!
My mother had them and I would sneak them upstairs to read. It was my first, then the stand. Thinner. It’s been decades since I’ve read him now. Anne rice was after him. Now I’m mood dependent.
Holden Caufield is a red pilled edge lord. If that’s the last thing you read I feel like it sets you up to start a podcast and calling yourself a “Stoic.”
Such truth. My degree was in history. I graduated '87 to a dismal Reagan job market. Ended up briefly at a Museum...but couldn't live on $14K a year...so have been in Supply Chain for 34 years now and surrounded by business types...who literally know almost nothing about our history. And it shows.
A young woman in her 20s freaked out at trivia last week - over a question on who was the US president in 1981. Ranted that she wasn't even born back then, so how should she know...
Broader implications aside, it's actually just sad how hard it is to find people who are interested in talking about literature.. I just want to meet someone I can recommend all these goddamn books to.
Hello fellow readers, question, has anyone else read Neuromancer? I don't know what the fuck is going on like 60% of the time. I can't be the only one, right?
I have, as well as several other of Gibson's books, and not understanding what's going on for at least the first 1/2 of the book is pretty par for the course. I personally loved it, but I can absolutely see how it can be off-putting.
Even the books people “read” in high school did not take the time or care to understand them. People were merely present and did not learn or take anything away from it. Far too often when discussing these books people miss a lot of the themes and ideas and their real world analogies
Why High School?
How many haven't since Elementary School?
How many simply believe what they get on radio and television?
"This boy is ignorance, this girl is want, beware them both, this boy in particular!" Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens.
I pretty much just listen to them anymore. I have a job where I can listen to them while I work, so when I'm not listening to podcasts or music, it's books.
I rarely read at school. When I started working I met an older guy who was into sci-fi. As we did a relatively mundane job, there was time to read. I started taking recommendations, found I loved it & have read ever since. Genres change. Love of reading doesn't
Mr. Trump, what about Project 2025?
- Not mine, I've never read it.
What about suspending the Constitution?
- Nothing 2 do w/me, I've never read it.
Favorite Bible passage?
- Don't have any, haven't read it.
How about banning books?
– Dunno, haven't read any.
Honestly, I had a hard time sitting down for any lengthy period of time to read after high school. I’d read maybe one or two books every 2 years. I think the toxicity of social media has changed that for me though. I’ve read about three books in the last month and a half. Suggestions?!
Try audiobooks? I also find it difficult to sit for long periods of time, I lose concentration quickly. I can listen to audiobooks whilst I work. It makes doing boring jobs much easier for me to do.
please include classic literature in your future bk universe, as well as authors that are women & POC. james baldwin, margaret atwood, gordon parks (yes, THAT GP), booker t washington, harper lee, etc
Ken Follett, Lee Child, John Grisham, Edit Pargeter, Richard Dawkins... pretty much anything by those names will be rewarding. What's your kind of genre? I would go crazy without books.
Since the internet and its seemingly instant gratification ability, no one exercises their brain with reading. Part of why critical thinking has plummeted
I learned from Germans that Stasi is better to use than Gestapo. I got fired from a fairly prestigious university in Germany years ago for using the phrase “language nazi”. I explained the historical reasons why Americans use the word but two student reviews said: “unnecessary reference to Nazis”
Jesus Christ, the phrase was “language gestapo” not “language nazi”. I need to reread more of what I’m posting to make like editorial corrections for the historical record haha
I am meme posting my own post because I never get to use this meme but maybe this is the right place for it. I’m not a teacher anymore so it is a mutterficken Spiel to me now
I sent away to Sweden to get a particular book for my boss, who was Operations Manager at the animal shelter where we worked together. He was puzzled when he removed it from the wrapping and said, “God, I can’t remember the last time I read a book!” Not long after that he fired me. 🙄
It starts well before HS graduation. Every semester I ask each of my (middle school) classes how often their parents read to them, and how many books they have in their house/apartment.
Many do revel in their stupidity. And much of that is the culture we raise boys in - they are the WORST for shitting on school and being shit in school. Not because they can't do it, but because we raise them that way.
They will learn when they get to the real world that 99% of them will not become influencers and they can’t just get by doing nothing. I manage younger Gen Z and the amount of them that don’t know how to read, write, sweep, mop, do dishes, etc. is insane.
I learned to do chores / work mostly out of necessity or being guilt-tripped and i'm not quite sure if i'm any better than the ones who have genuine solitude in their mind.
I am a teacher. I taught middle school for 8 years and had to leave that position because I got sick of beating my head against a wall trying to get any learning out of them while dealing with asshole and bigoted parents. Believe me, I KNOW.
I grew up in a rural south Texas town, our high school education was less challenging than the private middle school I went to. For so many their ignorance is not bliss, so many are in a state of constant confusion on what to even believe. They subconsciously want to be unique and to be right.
True. Makes me wonder how we got here. From fourth grade on, books were my escape and I loved them. Throughout my life I have had periods of reading non-stop. Nothing better than snuggling up with a good book.
I can escape right into those pages .
My last question to applicants in job interviews job is always “What is the last book you read?” I find the answer and ensuing discussion tell me more about a candidate than the traditional (and easily gamed) questions that precede it.
I m so glad i no longer have to participate in the interview pony show. I hated it. I worked at 1 company for 22 years and somehow that was a negative. Whn my company was bot out i lost my job with a few hundred ppl.
I grew to dislike the HR army.
Definitely tells you the effect of education on reading. Rather than teaching how to read for enjoyment and enlightenment, reading becomes a chore, a hassle (who really wants to analyze their reading) and annoying.
And when teachers teach books for a grade and are more and more pushed to teach not for their own judgment but the judgment of standardized tests it makes it that much more difficult to convey that reading dense things can be pleasurable
I asked my university classes how many books they had in their house. Many said none. Reading for pleasure is not a thing among 20 year olds, even the college-educated.
Honestly I didn’t read for pleasure while in college either. I was a double major and a bit overwhelmed also working but once the burnout settled I found my way back ❤️
My adult children love to read. I always got books for them Christmas, birthdays, etc. when they were children. I buy gift cards to book stores for them.
Comments
Also, you can learn about people, places, and anything else, with videos. Plus, you get a visual of what's being talked about,
Firing up your imagination/ mental projector, by reading, is probably the best argument for the medium, I think. It seems like that would be good for you.
A vote should only be given to those who have passed basic educational standards. Its crucial.
she got like 75 million votes.
WTAF???
Are at a 6th grade OR LESS Comprehension.
28 million of those are 3rd grade or less. Now close DOE? What?
I also use https://hoopla.com & read or listen to books for FREE any ebook my Public Library has on its virtual website!
Opened? Also, yes!
Looked for pictures and got disappointed? I think you know the answer
Then I just got dragged into doing IT again, for medical lab information systems.
Every time I claw my way out, computers drag me back in 🤣
So I tend to still meet thoughts all over the place and upset people with what I've "learned".
I try to keep it in more now.
I've no idea what's inside them though...
I'd actually love an audio book with subtitles.
I find even watching videos with subtitles more engaging because more senses are involved.
Smellivision, not so much.
Thought this would be a nice addition to the conversation. All books can be retrieved from https://gutenberg.org
I got addicted to Science Fiction in 4th grade. High school reading was boring. I refused to read Catcher in the Rye.
You go to school to learn to hate school.
.
I was getting straight A's in math and sciences, I was not about to read a story about a White boy so dumb that he got kicked out of multiple boarding schools. I did get straight D's in religion though. Agnostic since 7th grade. That Devil science fiction ya' know.
.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1084862.Science_Fact_Fiction
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis Taylor
???
Seriously Funny!
.
Arthur C Clarke used Plato's Allegory of the Cave to explain the infrared perception of reality in:
A Fall of Moondust
Read that in 7th grade when I decided to go to college for engineering.
Tau Zero, Einsteinian Physics
Star Wars ain't Science Fiction!
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis Taylor
Computer programmer cryofrozen and almost revived a century later. His mind was uploaded. He is put into a space probe as control for a Von Neumann machine.
Simple!
Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold might suit your tastes better.
Girl meets boy on alien. He is known as The Butcher of Komarr. Of course she finds him irresistible. Devil is in the details.
Vorkosigan Saga!
and Jefferson
How many haven't since Elementary School?
How many simply believe what they get on radio and television?
"This boy is ignorance, this girl is want, beware them both, this boy in particular!" Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens.
CTR + C > CTRL + V
- Not mine, I've never read it.
What about suspending the Constitution?
- Nothing 2 do w/me, I've never read it.
Favorite Bible passage?
- Don't have any, haven't read it.
How about banning books?
– Dunno, haven't read any.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by Scalzi was amazing
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was fantastic
I just haven’t opened them 🤣🤣🤣
The answers would break your heart.
We'll elect our fascist next year. 😭
I can escape right into those pages .
I grew to dislike the HR army.