American Illiteracy

Discussion in 'Reading & Writing' started by Ken Anderson, Jul 6, 2017.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I can't vouch for these numbers, but I am not surprised by them. What do you think?
    reading.jpg
    Of course, Amazon has much to do with people not being in book stores.
     
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  2. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    '57 per cent of new books are not read to completion'
    To know that, this had to be a survey. Its a shame this is happening
    I recall when Harry Potter came about, children queuing up for their copy and subsequent books
    The excitement was rife. Although its not my cup of tea, I was so pleased when this happened
    Reading wasn't pushed in any of my schools, hope its different today
     
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    While I am or was not a fan of the Harry Potter series, it does seem to have been what got my grandson reading, and he hasn't stopped.
     
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  4. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    I am a high school drop out and had not read many books at that time beyond required reading except paperback westerns and the Mickey Spillane's. Got a GED in the Army and later on got a years college at Midwestern University and Texas Tech University. But I have never stopped studying and learning. After I married, because my wife was an avid reader, I became a reader and took two speed reading courses, one an Air Force speed-reading course provided by my brother who was a career officer which I thought the better. I read three Harry Potter books but stopped reading them because of too much sameness in each book. I read them because I wondered why so many kids were reading them. I'm now reading Political Philosophy: Short treatise on Conservatism, Liberalism, and Socialism and a book titled, "Make Your Bed" by a one time commander of our Navy Seals. I have been surprised at how many adults do not read but depend on television and radio for all their information. I don't find fault with that but was surprised. I think the country as a whole is becoming less literate, depending on word of mouth, hearsay, and media. Nor do our students seem to do too well when compared to some other industrial countries. Of course my opinions are based on casual observation and might very well be wrong.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 7, 2017
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  5. This thread might be a good place to bring this up: over the years, I encountered individuals (one in a different state and two here) who expressed the belief that reading, buying books, and owning books is extremely negative. Their viewpoints ranged from believing you should never engage in any activity that isn't 'social,' to having books in your home is a matter of 'showing off.' Has anyone here encountered this? I don't recall the last time I was in a home where I saw books, except my kids' apartments.

    I learned to read when I was 4, and it's been a favorite activity ever since. Both of my parents and both siblings read a lot, too. So I don't really understand why anyone would consider it negative.
    I buy books- usually through Amazon, Thriftbooks, or local thrift shops; every couple of years I sort through them, give some away and donate some, and keep many. Seems logical, doesn't it?
     
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  6. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    I'm an avid reader, always have been from the first time I can remember...probably from age 4 or 5.... . I've loved it..enjoyed it, read every genre there is I think...

    Unlike @Patsy Faye , literature was pushed heavily in our school in all it's forms, and I was always top of my class, I enjoyed it very much and ironically our English teacher was an American lady from SC

    I will read anything if it's at hand... toothpaste packets, small print on legal papers... and of course my beloved books of which I've probably owned thousands in my life!

    I've always made good use of the local Library but now for the last couple of years at least the variety of books and especially new authors have decreased and in their place are more and more computers and desks... so I find for the first time in my life, there's months go by before I visit the library..sadly


    I buy books from anywhere...but mostly Amazon nowadays!!...oooh and I still keep a diary (journal) which I write in longhand every day....
     
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  7. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Yes it does and I'd say the people that think reading it 'negative' are illogical o_O
     
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  8. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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  9. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I remember trying to convince my dad that we were supposed to buy every book in the recommended reading list.
     
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  10. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    @Janice Martin, I buy books at the same places mostly, occasionally I will visit a book store. I used to trade used books but even that has gotten expensive. Six years ago when I moved to Oklahoma I had a five hundred book library. I had one dining room wall filled with books. It wasn't something to brag about because few people came to our home and some of those that did had small libraries of their own. I was proud of that library because I had hand selected most of the books, my wife the rest. Because we downsized drastically when we moved, we donated many books to the friends of the library to resale in their annual booksales. We have donated books and magazines to the veterans hospitals , to cancer center waiting rooms, and to senior citizens homes. I wrote a daily blog back then and I used my books for reference. I could quickly find anything I needed when writing.

    People have all kinds of opinions and those you encountered are/were just a very few, to be ignored mainly or discounted. One way we learn is through reading and sometimes writing about something. Reading opens up a world of information to us and allows us to travel the world through reading, and we learn about other peoples, and other cultures. We expand our knowledge and provide ourselves many days and hours of pleasure. Thanks for reminding us that books are good and should always have a place in our lives if we love books. They provide an atmosphere of learning for our children and expand our knowledge of the world in which we live.*


    *See the article in 'Tall Tales'.
     
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  11. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I was an avid reader until I started reading e books. For some reason I read more when I went to libraries and book stores and used book stores. I could spend hours in these places.

    I say I prefer e books now but thinking about it...seems I read less. I only like memoirs now but before I loved a good mystery book or a good thriller. I also was into dystopian novels for a few years, that was just before my current taste of memoirs.

    One genre I hate is romance novels...never did like those except for a very few authors.

    My son and daughter both are avid readers and have always loved reading. My husband also, always had a book in his hand even in the bathroom.

    Of the 5 grandsons I'd say my son's boys like reading more than my daughter's boys. My Son in law isn't a reader so maybe it's inherited. :)
     
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  12. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    I think our taste in reading can change over time. At least mine has.
     
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  13. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Books that I think I am really going to like and cherish, I would rather have in print. Pretty much, what I used to buy in paperback or mass media print, I now buy electronically. The good stuff I would rather have printed and in hardcover.
     
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  14. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    I totally agree.
     
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  15. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I agree with having the cherished books in hardcover, or at least in a paperback. However, I have lost some of my most favorite books when somehow they didn't get taken along in a move because it was one of those "essentials only" kind of moves, and boxes of books are HEAVY !
    I like have books that I might want to reference in paperback/hardcover, too. Something like a health book, or even a recipe book, where you just want to find a certain page , recipe, or bit of information. I know that you can bookmark the ebooks, too; but it still seems easier to quickly browse through a regular book to find something that i have highlighted previously.
    I think that the chart is probably pretty close to being accurate. People stopped reading books when they started watching television, and then we all became glued to our computers, and now with every one playing online games, I think that reading has just become a rarity for the general public.
    I have always loved reading, both for learning, and just for entertainment, and I probably always will .
    I do not mind watching a movie now and then; but I hate having a TV just constantly making noise, even in the background . I know that some people enjoy that; but i am not one of them !
     
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