Why is there a loss of interest in reading?

[ClaesGefvenberg]

However if the breakthrough to literacy comes early in a child's life then there is no reason why even the 'drudgery' of school literature cannot be enjoyed. For then it is no longer drudgery but ever expanding enlightenment. Parents should read to their children.

Well said. For as long as I can remember, I have had this craving for reading. I also know where it came from: My parents read to me... ...and I started reading to my daughter while she was still in the crib, before she could even say a single word. She is now a bookworm (not to mention writer: she keeps writing ever longer stories) of the first order, and it makes me very proud. She has in fact asked me to help her write her first posts here at LitNet: Her english is not so hot yet, but she has seen me posting here...

What is even sadder to me is when adults pass on their aversion to reading to the younger generation.

Yes, that is so true, and not only when it comes to writing.

She also made it a really big deal to go to the library. We went twice a month, and I remember looking forward to it so much that I was literally shaking with anticipation when we pulled up in front of the library.

Yes! I hear you. My parents did that to me, and I passed it on to my daughter. Every other week we go there, and then come back home with a couple of bags worth of reading matter.

I was the odd ball that read. Most others didn't except for school.

You too, eh? I recognize that, but then I never tried to follow the flow anyway...

/Claes

[B-Mental]

Its funny, but I taught myself to read at the age of four with the help of the 'Electric Company' show. I had a father that was an english teacher and a mother that was passionate about reading and patient with my questions...I attribute my love for reading to them both, and my heart goes out to those that don't read. Bless my parents.

[Idril]

I've always read to my boys and have always gone by the motto that you can never have too many books but the process of going from me picking out what to read and they picking out books for themselves was a hard transition for my oldest. He would just be overwhelmed at the choices at bookstores or the library so I would go through and pick out a handful I thought he might be interested in and he would make the choice from there. Eventually, he found authors and series that he really liked and was able to pick out his own books but it does show that while reading to your kids when they're babies and toddlers is great, parents need to continue to nurture and sometimes guide them throughout their formative years.

Now all they read are mangas. I realize it does still technically count as reading but I really do wish they would read more classic fiction now and again.

[ClaesGefvenberg]

Now all they read are mangas. I realize it does still technically count as reading but I really do wish they would read more classic fiction now and again.

Don't worry: I'm sure they'll widen their views again. Perhaps the manga is here to stay, but manga, cartoons and more "traditional" kinds of literature are not mutually exclusive... There is room for all of it.

/Claes

[SaGe]

TV is easier

[litlearner]

A lot of people are asking this same question. As a secondary school English teacher and a recent graduate, I know that this is a big concern. In some circles it is the teachers who are blamed for the problem. As some of you mentioned, the tumble in literacy is not limited to California.
You have already touched on many of the reasons commonly given: too much else to do, boring school reading assignments that turn people off to reading as children, laziness (I don't necessarily agree with this one), etc.
I'm in my 50's and when I was a kid there were many fewer entertainment options. We had less money, one TV in a household and I watched what my parents wanted to watch. Reading, I think, had a higher status back then. Mom and Dad pushed it because they believed it made one "educated", higher class and cultured--unlike many of them, but something they valued for our sakes. A poor a kid like me could travel via reading to many places he or she could never dream of going in real life, I know I did and it was one of reading's biggest attractions for me.
Some people blame the "Canon" for the problem--(boring?) books written by white men--long ago--no longer relevant and not originally intended for children in the first place. At school we learned about alternatives, adolescent lit., well written books that today's kids can relate to. We also learned about graphic novels (like Comics) and Manga, which are very popular--think Heros. When I began teaching in New York, I found these books were already commonly in use, and the kids seem to enjoy them for the most part. We also have many new ways of engaging students in reading that take some of the drudgery out of reading by returning to the aesthetic qualities, the love of a good story, beautiful prose, imaginative and thought provoking ideas, reasons that atracted most of us to reading in the first place. Since the visual arts are predominant today, we can tie reading to film, TV, and other Media.
I hope this is a good direction. By the way, some people are also asking if reading is dead or dying because of today's technology. We have audio books now. Why read if a book can be read to us?
Whatever--I will always love a good book, one with pages I can turn and passages I can return to and savor again and again. We will always love stories however we access them.

[me_07]

loss of INTERST IN readind..oh boy..i gotta long list thn..
firstly
TV
Myspace
Facebook
hangin' out with frnds
Mall
g.f or b/f
lack of interst
understandin power
bouring book/novel
buddies
weekend fun
other work
job
n
also wal-Mart shopping
heh heh last but not least
SLEEPING

THIS R ALL DE REASON OF LOSS OF INTEREST IN READING..

[*Classic*Charm*]

Don't forget Youtube.

Though NONE of those are a valid reason for neglecting literature.

[lavendar1]

My mom always read to me and I always read to my children -- and as a teacher now, I can almost tell which of my students didn't have that pleasure ever. So, I sneak in 'choice' every chance I can (around the required curriculum); I just let the students choose a fiction or non-fiction book to report on (including contemporary young adult literature - which I really promoted... some of it is quite good). Still, for some it went over like a lead balloon. I won't give up, though. I think of myself as one of the last people they'll encounter who will promote reading and, at the very least, attempt to ensure literacy for these students. And I often read to them, too. And sometimes, I bring a few of them in that way.

[JBI]

Strangely my parents were among the sort that never read to me. Growing up, I don't think I can recall one time that they had. Perhaps my interest in reading grew from my idea that higher class people are well read in literature. I attribute this to my societal conflicts with the current teen-age culture, and it's pathetic image. My interest in history led me to the realization that teenagers really aren't as different as modern day people perceive, and the fact that it is the media, and the way society has matured that has lead to what I understand to be "the decline in proper culture".

Towards my teen years I pursued this idea, and determined to digest as much famous literature as possible. This led to an obsession which brings me to where I am now. When looking back I have no regrets. Watching movies just doesn't compare to the enjoyment of reading an excellent piece of literature.

Perhaps now one reason people, younger people in particular, aren't reading is because of the stuff that hits the best seller lists. My interpretation of this fad of mediocre novels hitting the big time, is that now people are led to believe that this is what reading is really about. My interpretation of those authors, who may perhaps have excellent stories, is that they really don't cut it in terms of language, style, and the overall eloquence of the craft. When choosing to watch the movie adaptation of a crummy book, or read the book, I personally would choose the movie; whereas a book may take hours to read, the movie takes only a couple to a few hours. Better off watching a movie of rubbish than dedicating time to reading it when you can be enjoying something of a more intellectual nature.

[Shannanigan]

I think that the love for reading has to start at an early age. I've always loved reading, and other people I know who have also read since infancy, seemingly, either still read a lot or would like to do so.

Boy is this fact constantly nibbling at my rear end. I'm studying to be a high school English teacher and I have all these memories of my honors literature classes and all the wonderful discussions we had...little did I realize that most students are not honors students and that unless students developed a love for reading during early childhood, they probably never would.

I should have signed up for elementary education. But even then, half the effort has to be on the parents' side. If the parents don't see the value in reading, their children never will. Most of us who love reading are good students because our parents instilled that love and value of learning in us at an early age. Not all parents go this far, and I may be so bold as to say that most parents don't, either for lack of time or lack of realizing how valuable the simple act could be.

My friend is due in a month. I'm so glad that she's studying to be an elementary teacher and knows the value of reading to her baby. I also try to give good books to all the children in my life (cousins and whatnot), but some have already gotten to that age where "books are for school, and school is not cool" stage. You can only do so much after that...

[Idril]

...little did I realize ... that unless students developed a love for reading during early childhood, they probably never would.

That's not always necessarily so. I didn't read much as a kid, in fact my mother said she was really worried about me because I pretty much never read anything I wasn't required to and she thought it was so odd coming from such a book loving family. But I actually read the books I was required to and enjoyed them. I was the one my classmates went to when the test was coming up and they hadn't read the book because I always knew what was going on but yet I never picked up a book outside of class. It wasn't until I was out of college and no longer had any reading requirements that I realized how much I missed it. I didn't really get into reading until I was in my early 20's, a bit of a late bloomer but it just goes to show, it can happen.

[andave_ya]

Yes, seriously, aren't books lovely?

I don't recall my parents reading to me, but my Mom is a voracious bookworm. My Dad and sister not so much, but all of my family does deal in books, and that has affected me tremendously, in the best way possible. As soon as I learned to be a proficient reader, I found many classics and learned much from them. In the past couple of years, though, I have been finding my own specialized niche in the world of books. I do understand that reading can require effort -I feel like I have to roll up my sleeves and prepare to concentrate whenever I read my favorite book- but it's so worth it!

[Shannanigan]

That's not always necessarily so. I didn't read much as a kid, in fact my mother said she was really worried about me because I pretty much never read anything I wasn't required to and she thought it was so odd coming from such a book loving family. But I actually read the books I was required to and enjoyed them. I was the one my classmates went to when the test was coming up and they hadn't read the book because I always knew what was going on but yet I never picked up a book outside of class. It wasn't until I was out of college and no longer had any reading requirements that I realized how much I missed it. I didn't really get into reading until I was in my early 20's, a bit of a late bloomer but it just goes to show, it can happen.

I said probably, because of course there will be exceptions. With the culture here dictating that most parents don't see the value in reading and therefore won't be instilling that value in their children, I'm hoping that I can create some more exceptions to the general rule when I start teaching high school. I would love to see more students like yourself who realize later that reading can be fun

[Idril]

With the culture here dictating that most parents don't see the value in reading and therefore won't be instilling that value in their children...

That is true and I guess it is important to note that while I wasn't a great reader when I was young, I do come from a family of readers, my siblings and parents were always reading something so I did grow up in an environment where books were valued and that no doubt had something to do with my later interest in them.