“So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” – Roald Dahl, “Matilda”
If you’ve read Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” or watched its movie or musical adaptation, then there’s something you can’t miss about Matilda: she adores reading. At the mere age of three, Matilda taught herself how to read and became engrossed in the adventures and tales that books from her local library had to offer her. Despite all of the challenges she faces from her negligent parents and the formidable Headmistress Trunchbull, the hope, comfort, and power that reading gives her allows Matilda to overcome her struggles.
Children learning to read are often introduced to Matilda’s character to instill in them the value of reading; yet, as time goes on, reading slowly becomes viewed in a different light. In schools, reading can be viewed as a chore, changing it from a relaxing experience to a taxing and forced one. However, the ability to read and the habit of doing it is one of the most important things in our lives. Reading has the power to completely change our futures, how our minds work, and how we view the world.
Whether you already enjoy reading books in your free time or you can’t remember the last time you’ve read outside of class, this article can be a guide (and hopefully an inspiration) for how to find and read books you enjoy, and why you should.
Why is it Important to Read?
Throughout human history, there have been countless remarkable and revolutionary thinkers, leaders, and writers. Figures like Alexander the Great, George Washington, and Albert Einstein have undoubtedly shaped our world and how we view it today. One thing that all of these figures had in common? They were voracious readers. Reading has long been the key to understanding the world and the people within it, yet many people today fail to understand its importance.
To begin the list of why reading is one of the most important skills and habits we can have, various studies have shown a positive relationship between critical thinking skills and reading. In one study done on college undergraduates, voluntary reading showed a significant positive relationship between critical thinking skills and college GPA. The critical thinking skills developed by reading transfer in some way to all professions and to personal success. We use critical thinking skills daily, from fact-checking online information to reading complex social situations to finding the best way out of a problem or crisis.
In addition to helping develop critical thinking skills, voluntary reading has also been shown to improve academic performance and test scores, yet it seems to be declining as a hobby for students. Data from the NAEP’s report on Long-Term Trend Assessment Results shows that among 13-year-olds, the percentage of students who read for fun almost every day has dropped from 35% when the study was first done in 1984 to 14% in 2023. The same overall negative trend was consistent with the group of students who read for fun once or twice a week, and the percentage of students who never read for fun increased from 8% to 31% in the same time frame. The study also collected data on those students’ test scores, and the students who read for fun consistently were more likely to score in the 75th percentile or higher compared to their peers who didn’t read. The data reflects the importance of reading in academic achievement; if you’re looking to do better in school and to be able to learn more, picking up the habit of reading would be greatly beneficial.
Although the importance of reading can be supported through studies and data, it is important to acknowledge that the ability to read is a gift. Reading isn’t something one has to do, it is something one gets to do. By reading this article right now, you are engaging in a skill that only a few hundred years ago would have been reserved for the elite. Before the invention of the printing press in the mid-fifteenth century, books were hand-written and expensive commodities for the elite. Only after the printing press was invented did reading become a skill possessed by greater masses of people. To live in a world where children are taught to read at a young age and books and digital resources are widely available is truly a gift, and one that should be enjoyed to the fullest degree. Education and reading are the keys to understanding the world, and as long as one has access to information and books, one should read them.
Why Can’t I Just Read in My English Class?
Although reading is critical to English education, one can’t rely on an English class to be the start and end of their reading journey because books simply aren’t being read in their entirety in most English classes anymore. In an article from the Associated Press titled “Not-so-great expectations: Students are reading fewer books in English class,” author Sharon Luyre interviews students and teachers to gather their opinions on trends they’ve noticed about reading entire books and explain why classrooms are moving toward a greater focus on short-form texts. One such reason is that current students have shorter attention spans than ever. Reading entire books requires patience that many students don’t have.
Social media and digital resources have given students access to complete summaries of books that explain key points, and with those resources, most students wouldn’t choose to spend the time reading an entire book or even just a chapter. Davie High English teacher Renee Lamb also agrees that shortened attention spans are a major reason that classrooms have moved away from reading entire books.
“The reason we switched from long-form to short-form was and still is the refusal of students to engage with long-form text due to their diminished attention spans as well as a growing apathy toward books,” Lamb said. “Teachers chose, rather than fight the slipping attention spans, to feed into them with short-form content.”
Engaging students with short texts that offer immediate gratification and answers helps capture the attention of most students with less struggle, but at what cost? Reading entire books in the classroom isn’t just a struggle for many students, but can be difficult for the teachers that try to incorporate entire books. Lamb also commented on this struggle for some teachers.
“Now it’s no fault of the teacher. Think about it: if you had to drag 80 people through something they didn’t want to do, you’d be beaten down at some point, too.”
The trend of shorter, condensed texts being read in classrooms also has roots in heightened rushes to prepare students for standardized tests. English standards contain multiple different elements for each strand, such as literary reading, informational reading, writing, and speaking and listening (among many others). To develop these skills in the time frames that teachers have with their students, short texts are the most efficient way and they help gather data for further assessments. Standardized tests themselves don’t use entire novels, either; passages are short to allow the test to fit within a certain time frame. For teachers to incorporate extensive book reading into their curriculums, the skills that are needed for the required standardized tests would have to be taught some other way, taking up more time that teachers don’t have.
The final reason that many students aren’t reading entire books as part of their English classes anymore is because of a relatively new English educational principle: media literacy. Media literacy is the ability to analyze, evaluate, and create using various forms of communication. In an educational sense, teaching media literacy would involve exposing students to different types of media and pop culture and giving them the tools to express themselves through that medium. According to a statement from the National Council of Teachers of English regarding the importance of media literacy in ELA education, “Students should examine how digital media and popular culture are completely intermingled with language, literature, and writing. The time has come to decenter book reading and essay writing as the pinnacles of English language arts education. Speaking and listening are increasingly valued as forms of expression that are vital to personal and professional success…”
While it is true that media literacy and the ability to analyze media are important for personal success, it doesn’t devalue the importance of being able to write competently and read books. English teacher Tani Caudle, when asked about her position on the statement, responded similarly.
“The world is filled with short clips in every type of media. Although we need to conform to prepare our students for what the world is now and in the future, we also need to set them up to be better than that.” Caudle said. “Being able to engage for longer periods is necessary to avoid short attention span and other habits that tend to happen when not challenged to longer works.”
Media literacy doesn’t have to replace book reading; it only adds another concept that should be taught in English classrooms. In addition to the short-form content that students and adults alike experience in the media, book reading still provides invaluable life skills. Moreover, book reading can actually help students understand culture better in general. This is the view of freshman Alexandra Lesczuk who said that reading “makes you a more well-rounded individual.”
Consuming books in addition to the online media of the modern world helps students become more well-rounded and aware. Before digital media was invented, books were the way that ideas, opinions, and messages were conveyed. Books reflect the opinions and cultures of the authors. In the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.” Becoming a reader allows one to discover new things about themselves, the authors, and the world. Book reading is essential to understanding cultures and opinions of periods past and present, which is why it is an invaluable tool.
How Can You Become a Reader?
Now that it’s been established why anyone should read, the question remains as to how one becomes a reader. To start your reading journey, discover the type of books and content you like to read. The reason why so many genres and authors exist is that everyone has different tastes and interests in what they like to read. Some prefer nonfiction, while others prefer fiction; some prefer books that discuss light topics, while others prefer books that offer commentary on heavy issues. Whatever your taste may be, it is important to discover what you like to read to make the process enjoyable.
Finding books that are enjoyable or that fit your taste is a common yet surmountable problem for most people. An anonymous freshman, in an interview, said that he struggled to find books that kept his attention.
“I am only open to reading things that could happen in real life. I refuse to use my imagination to go to a faraway place, and so I try to find books that are realistic. This minimizes the window of what I would consider a ‘good book.’ And the second I stop and ask myself ‘Could this really happen?’ and if the answer is ‘no,’ that book is going back on the shelf.”
If you struggle to find books or discover genres you enjoy, then there are numerous digital resources available to help with this process. The website What Should I Read Next? can help you if you’ve read books you enjoy before and hope to find something similar. The book review website Goodreads is also a helpful resource for readers. The website allows you to see ratings and reviews from other people who have read a book you’re interested in. Even asking a friend or a teacher for book recommendations can be helpful. If someone you know has liked a certain book, maybe you should try it too!
To make the habit of reading stick, it is important to separate the books you read for fun from the texts you are required to read in school. Don’t group your voluntary reading with something you don’t look forward to; instead, set up the experience to make it enjoyable and leisurely instead of stressful.
Hopefully, by the end of this article, you have been convinced to make reading a habit. Reading is beneficial in a plethora of ways, from developing critical thinking skills to academic achievement to increased knowledge about topics you’re interested in. Reading outside of the classroom voluntarily is one of the best decisions one can make in life for themselves. Anyone, and truly anyone can benefit from reading and become a reader if they so choose.
