Dying Arts, Dying Magic: Part II (or: Reasons to Read and Why I Do)

It always surprises me a little bit when, in a conversation, I discover that the person I'm talking with doesn't read.  Perhaps this is because I grew up in a family of educators.  Perhaps it is because I've somehow managed to surround myself with friends are of a literary bent.  Maybe it is because reading has  been something that is almost as essential and almost as natural to me as breathing.  Maybe it is because I grew up without a television to be my distraction on a day when I couldn't play outdoors.  Most likely it is a combination of all these factors.  But whatever the cause is, I'm thankful that reading is so important to me, so integral to my life. 

Reasons to Read: 

There are a vast number of articles and blog posts and studies available online that stress the importance of reading, and conversely, the negative effects of a lower literacy rate.  I do realize that literacy and a hunger for books are not necessarily the same thing.  Still it seems to me that - whether a person is drawn to books that provide them with facts, or fiction; whether they find the words in the pages of a magazine, a book, or on the internet - the greater the passion for the written word, the higher your literacy level will be.  On that note, here are some rather sad statistics - the full list of which I found here: http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp

• The educational careers of 25 to 40 percent of American children are imperiled because they don't read well enough, quickly enough, or easily enough.
• 44 million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child.
• Nearly half of America's adults are poor readers, or "functionally illiterate." They can't carry out simply tasks like balancing check books, reading drug labels or writing essays for a job.
• 21 million Americans can't read at all, 45 million are marginally illiterate and one-fifth of high school graduates can't read their diplomas.
• 50 percent of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book.
• When the State of Arizona projects how many prison beds it will need, it factors in the number of kids who read well in fourth grade.
• According to the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 37 percent of fourth graders and 26 percent of eighth graders cannot read at the basic level; and on the 2002 NAEP 26 percent of twelfth graders cannot read at the basic level. That is, when reading grade appropriate text these students cannot extract the general meaning or make obvious connections between the text and their own experiences or make simple inferences from the text. In other words, they cannot understand what they have read.

And if we're looking for positive enforcement, here are some statistics (or facts) about the benefits of (or motivation for) reading:

• It can help you be a more successful professional. 
• It can improve your memory.
• It encourages you to be more active!  "Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising."
• It helps you relax/reduces your stress level.

Why I read:
Of course, I'm fairly certain that most of the readers I know will simply see the statistical benefits of reading and better literacy as a pleasant kind of side effect.  So do I.  So why do I read?  Because:

• It fuels creativity.  I could watch many of the stories that I read in movie form.  And often I do - but not before I've read the book, because if I read the book first, I am able to create my own version of the characters and the world of the story in my mind - and that makes me feel much closer to the story, much more involved. Also - it helps me be a better writer.
• It makes me think.  Reading challenges the way I look at things.  It presents perspectives I would not otherwise consider.  It lets me experience other cultures and emotions from the inside, in a way I never may in real life.
• It helps me understand people better.  
• It lets me visit another world - or just see a bigger world than I currently do.
• It shows me how to be a better person - and how NOT to be a worse one.
• It prepares me for bigger life experiences.
• It is just straight up FUN!

I'll end with two of my favorite quotes, from two of my favorite authors to read:

"Books must be treated with respect, we feel that in our bones, because words have power. Bring enough words together they can bend space and time."
~Terry Pratchett

People who've never read fairy tales ... have a harder time coping in life than the people who have. They don't have access to all the lessons that can be learned from the journeys through the dark woods and the kindness of strangers treated decently, the knowledge that can be gained from the company and example of Donkeyskins and cats wearing boots and steadfast tin soldiers. I'm not talking about in-your-face lessons, but more subtle ones. The kind that seep up from your subconscious and give you moral and humane structures for your life. That teach you how to prevail, and trust. And maybe even to love.
~CHARLES DE LINT, The Onion Girl

Why do you read?