People say that the younger generations are not keen readers. Part of me wants to disagree each time this is brought up in spite of how blatant it is that screens have taken over from books. I then start to think of all the times I asked my friends what they are currently reading, only to get the sour response of “Eh” or even: “I don’t really like to read.” After I process this, I begin to think of the last book I have read… Then it hits me: though I’ve started many books, I don’t know what the last book that I finished is!
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an absolutely fantastic writer and poet of the 21st century who creates beautiful tapestries with her words, so much so that she has quickly (and rightfully) become one of the best-selling authors of the last twenty years. Her latest book, ‘Dream Count,’ released this year, has sold over 250,000 copies to date. Despite this massive achievement, if you look back nearly twenty years to Adichie’s second ever published book, titled ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, this sold over 500,000 copies. This was when she was new on the scene and getting a lot of attention for her writing and the ideas explored in her novels, but certainly before she was as well known world-wide as she is today.
Surely, an extremely renowned author, at the height of her career, being unable to outsell one of her oldest books, indicates a decline in our love of literature? You might wonder perhaps, whether ‘Dream Count’ is not as good a book so therefore it is not worth buying. Well, on nearly every valid site that reviews books (such as ‘The New York Times’) ‘Dream Count’ has received extremely complimentary reviews, often with four or five stars, and has been described as one of her best pieces of writing. You might also question whether it is too early for a new book to outsell an older one despite the author’s calibre, but this is entirely untrue: each of JK Rowling’s sequels to Harry Potter each managed to progressively outsell the last within its first few months.
If even the largest authors world-wide cannot continue to keep a hold on the public, then surely there must be something wrong with our interests and with the time we spend reading. There is not much point going into detail as to why this is happening because the answer is rather obvious. However, it is worth examining what the benefits are to reading instead of drooling over our screens. I have looked to Oundle School’s very own Head of English, Mr Hipperson, for his assistance in this.
Mr Hipperson told me that from an academic perspective, studies have proven conclusively that pupils who read daily, for pleasure, tend to achieve higher exam results. Another incredibly important reason to read would be that it teaches empathy. You see, when you pick up a book you are placed in someone else’s world, with characters you don’t know, yet you grow to feel their emotions and experience a story that you have nothing to do with. Mr Hipperson has spent an amount of time teaching American literature and feels that he has some understanding of the culture despite never having been to the United States. In addition to this, it is a way to comfort yourself and get lost in a separate narrative, even blurring the lines of reality. So, books are a cheap and straightforward way to challenge your views and expand your knowledge and promote your cognitive development.
It would be presumptuous of me to assume that everyone will suddenly want to read again after this article so I shall simply relay some advice: don’t worry about what you are reading during the busyness of daily life. Try your best to protect a little slot of time later in the day so that you can read, even if it is only fifteen minutes. Try to pick up books from a local library or an independent bookshop; you can request books from either of these. When looking for a book to read just ask friends, parents, anyone for ideas. Have multiple books to read at once, one for comfort that requires little thought and one requiring concentration. Finally, embrace the slower pace of a novel and do not try to rush and instead simply take your time and enjoy; after all, it is not a competition.
