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by Despite a literacy rate of around 99%, people in the U.S. just aren't reading that much, books anyway. A new poll by AP/Ipsos indicates that one in four adults did not read a single book over the past year. Who did read? The poll says that women and senior citizens were the biggest readers, with popular fiction and religious works topping the preferences. Of those who reported to have read, women came out on top with their median number being nine books, five for men. Women, in fact, were found to out-read men in every category except for history and biography.
But why such low figures overall? Analysts posit that competition coming from the Internet, television, movies, etc. has adversely affected people's desire to read. Or as Richard Bustos of Dallas commented, "I just get sleepy when I read."
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If the top genres are popular fiction and religious books, what are we saying? I prefer a challenging crossword puzzle or an interesting foray through the Internet to the common culture crap out there. Reading for reading's sake can be catharctic for those who enjoy the peacefulness and entertainment values of not having to think too much. Plus they get to say that they have read nine books this year. Maybe some time for reflective thought might serve us better.
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Hardly surprising by gheorghe :: NR5 :: Show
Personally, I would prefer a wire going straight to my memory center in my brain as a method of getting my information. While I am a bookworm myself and I dream of a day where I can just relax in my backyard away from the civilized world, shotgun on my lap, and a pile of books next to my bottle of certified moonshine on the right hand side, I wonder why books have not yet been replaced by more high-tech information carriers. Maybe the new Sony Reader would do the trick.