This is a massive social problem," NEA chairman Dana Gioia, said by phone from Washington. "We are losing the majority of the new generation. They will not achieve anything close to their potential because of poor reading."

Sad state of affairs.

This might cheer you up, at least people are making sure that reading is not dead.

I'm always amazed that "surfing the web" doesn't count as reading. Kids today are making their own choices about what counts as "media" to them, rather than being force fed what the TV wants them to see.

Sure, they're not finding themselves lost in novel after novel, but they're reading a lot of what older generations would consider newspaper style text.

there's a big difference here Eric, reading online texts doesnt count as "reading" as such because it does not create the immersion experience reading a novel does. maybe J.Bezos new device will change that, but reading is (at present) necessary for the mind development

Reading is a multidimensional cluster of skills. Functional literacy, for example, allows a person to read instructions, wageslips, advertisements etc. Reading poetry, say, or War and Peace involves 'higher' skills. Reading 'between the lines', interpreting, understanding the natures of rhetoric, metaphor etc are 'skills' that develop. I am still learning to read. And write.

"The mere brute pleasure of reading - the sort of pleasure a cow must have in grazing." ~Lord Chesterfield..

grazing on thoughts

Such a sad fact. Although I understand that there are so many different things to which young children are exposed, things which take their attention reading is such a basic pleasure that should be instilled in children. Feeling a book, smelling the pages, being able to cozy in bed with it or take it to the beach-- a lost pleasure. I have downloaded ebooks but nothing beats the hard covers and yellowish pages of a book.

Reading is a very important tool and can add to interest in writing. I have found this myself.

There are so many topics you can read about, politics, pleasure, true life stories, books made into movies (a passion of mine) and the list goes on.

Not enough young children are being exposed to the pleasure of reading to increase intelligence, conversations, memory and pure pleasure.