Reading on the Rise!

I recently came across a press release by the National Endowment for the Arts that reveals some exciting news: the number of readers in America is increasing, especially amongst young adults. You can find the article here.

It seems pretty clear, to me anyways, that authors such as J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer, who have both written a bestselling series that bookstores often have to struggle to keep a quantity in stock, have probably contributed the most to this rising readership in young adults. Additionally, it seems as though being an avid reader as a young adult has lost some of the nerdy stigma that used to come with it. To be sure, there are still teens who scoff at reading, and I see some of them in the bookstore when they reluctantly buy a book for a class they're taking. A young man was at the checkout line the other day and I saw he had a copy of The Great Gatsby in his hand. I nodded towards his hand and commented that it was a great story, to which he replied: "It's for class."

Since there was a long period of decrease in readership before this survey, spanning twenty years from 1982-2002, this sudden increase seems to be a rather sharp contrast, and it is difficult not to conclude that part of this (from 2007 to 2008, in particular) is undoubtedly caused by the sour economy. People seem to have cut back the most on the more costly entertainment sources, while continuing to purchase books, cds, and dvds, which are significantly cheaper. As an example, your average date (let's go with the typical dinner-and-a-movie arrangement) can cost $70 or more, depending on your requirements for the evening. The two movie tickets alone are at least $20, not to mention the popcorn and sodas. That being said, however, I would not say that there has been a boom in this area of entertainment, but it has not suffered as badly.

Although it is likely that the economy has played a part in this trend, I am hoping that a genuine interest in reading has spurred this the most. It would be wonderful to see a dramatic increase in American literacy, education, and readership, and I look forward to the day where almost everyone reads and does so willingly.