Throughout my life I have enjoyed reading, it could be related to my introversion, but I consider books a gateway to so much of this world that God has created. When great authors write stories that bring characters to life or allow me to picture a specific location, my imagination is awakened. When pastors and other spiritual leaders challenge me to ponder how I live out my faith on a daily basis, I am able to engage both the heart and the mind. Books stir a deep curiosity within my soul that has been fed since I was a little girl. Oh, the joy of seeing my name in print on the library card issued by Shelby County and to enter the glass, double doors of the Frayser Branch to see rows and rows of books that were available to me.  

In the early years it was Curious George’s mischief that grabbed my attention and then as I grew older Judy Blume became a favorite. During the middle school years at Munford Elementary, it was a joy to work with Miss Evelyn Gragg in the library during free periods, stamping the school identification on specific pages and covering the new books so little hands could not sully the colorful book jackets. Sweet Valley High became a preferred series during that period of life along with Teen Beat and Tiger Magazines. At home my sister and I were encouraged to read fiction, our Bible, our Sunday School lessons on Saturday night, and Our Daily Bread in the mornings. Of course, there was also the required reading for school assignments from class textbooks, with their Coca-Cola sponsored book cover and the interest in peeking inside the front cover to see whose name appeared above yours having used the same book the previous year, to books read for pleasure. Cultivating a continued interest in reading over the years, I’m grateful for the access to resources which watered a growing awareness in what others have to say.

As we move into the modern era of ebooks, I admit to sometimes missing the feel of a hard cover in my hands, physically turning the page, being able to see how thick a particular chapter is, or knowing how far away the ending might be; however, because of the amount and frequency of my reading, the current technology enables me to move without wait from one book to the next and export highlights and notes to email. I still have that physical library card (no longer with a name, just an identification number) which might be used occasionally, but the access to a plethora of authors and titles from the public library via the Internet is just as fascinating as the rows and rows of books in a physical space.

Recognizing that not everyone enjoys the concept of reading as much as I do, I feel that the importance of reading has not changed in our society, yet statistics concern me. As a Gen Xer who works predominantly with Gen Zers, it concerns me when the attendance question asks, “What is the name of the last book you read?” and students can only list some required book for a course assignment. Of course, the enlightened students at a Christian institution will typically answer, “The Bible,” but many times, the answer is more along the lines of, “I can’t remember.”

Jean Twenge’s research has found:

“The decline in reading print media was especially steep. In the early 1990s, 33 percent of 10th-graders said they read a newspaper almost every day. By 2016, that number was only 2 percent. In the late 1970s, 60 percent of 12th-graders said they read a book or magazine almost every day; by 2016, only 16 percent did. Twelfth-graders also reported reading two fewer books each year in 2016 compared with 1976, and approximately one-third did not read a book (including e-books) for pleasure in the year prior to the 2016 survey, nearly triple the number reported in the 1970s.”

All this musing is to say is that it concerns me that my students do not enjoy reading either for gaining knowledge or for pleasure. One simple search online led to a list that outlines the many advantages of reading. As I move forward in course preparation for the upcoming school year, I will add reading entire books to my assignment lists with the desire for students to understand that reading helps them flourish in so many areas of their life.

I will often update this blog with books I happen to be reading at the moment, usually a mix of fiction, spiritual development, or research for classes and presentations. I welcome you to share thoughts on how reading benefits you and what you are currently engaged in the pages of in the comments area below.