Cheat Sheet
The Best In Brief
Reading on the Rise
Amidst book publishers’ struggles, the National Endowment for the Arts has a surprise finding: Fiction reading is on the rise. For the first time since 1982, when the NEA began collecting such data, the percentage of adults who have read at least one novel, short story, play, or poem in the past year has risen to 50.2 percent from 46.7 percent in 2002. The increase was most dramatic among 18 to 24 year old, among whom the decline was previously most pronounced. The exact reasons for the rise are unknown, but Dana Gioia, the chairman of the NEA, speculates that community-based book clubs, Oprah Winfrey, and series like Twilight and Harry Potter all played a role.
Partner Sites: Expedia| Hotels| Hotwire| Urbanspoon| Vimeo
My suspicion is that Book Sales were up this Christmas, though I have not yet seen any definitive numbers on this believed phenomena. The contributions and encouragements of persons like President Bush, President-Elect Obama, Oprah, and many, many others has no doubt set the example in this direction, and Americans are following their lead. This is an extraordinary benefit to The People, both immediate and long term. It is also a poignant example of how Ruling Elites, be they talk show hosts or Presidents, can create positive change within a Society. Now, if only someone could explain this simple idea to Iran, and suggest a proper Book List for their inspection, they might get the point.
A society of readers empowers itself. As a bookworm from way back, I find this very good news.
missed the point here...this is the first year the NEA has included online reading, e-books, short stories, or whatever in their criteria. no surprise the jump in 18-24 year old reading was so significant.
This could be no more than a statistical "blip" rather than a long term trend. We've been in recession for more than a year, so many people are out of work, have no prospects, have little $. I've not read a novel in somewhat more than a year, but have several books ( novels, works of Plato and Aristotle, as well as many technical textbooks ) at hand to read. My reading is not influenced by Orpah Winfrey, except that her recommendation of reading material may drive me away from a book.
Let's hope the increase in reading is a long term trend and that people read more _news_ and history so that we can avoid a repeat of the Bush years.
The report is quite encouraging, but I am not sure it measured whether or not the subjects interviewed indicated whether or not the reading was "required" or not, as teachers in junior and senior high, and in college as well require vast amounts of literary reading. I find that those who only read required novels or plays or poems never want to read anything on their own. This might suggest that "required" reading is on the rise, and those who read in this context are not happy readers.
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.
Please log in to leave comments.