Books, Books, Books!

Warning: This post may firmly entrench me in the nerd category and could possibly alienate individuals.

I recently saw an interview with a woman named Susan Jacoby on C Span. She had some quotes that I found appalling, so I googled her and found this great Washington Post editorial (Have I mentioned how much I love the post- It's the best paper in the world IMHO.) Jacoby states in "The Dumbing of America":

Reading has declined not only among the poorly educated, according to a report last year by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1982, 82 percent of college graduates read novels or poems for pleasure; two decades later, only 67 percent did. And more than 40 percent of Americans under 44 did not read a single book -- fiction or nonfiction -- over the course of a year. The proportion of 17-year-olds who read nothing (unless required to do so for school) more than doubled between 1984 and 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/15/AR2008021502901.html

Not a single book! In a year! I guess I am more strange than I thought. What is wrong with a picture where more than 1/3, nearly 1/2 of the young population does not pick up a book in A YEAR!! Not even Grisham, or Koontz, or titillating love stories? We're not talking Hemingway, Shakespeare, and Dickinson here. As a former reading and writing tutor, current humanities scholar and avid bookworm I find this news sickening. If our nation loses a general cultural literacy, we will lose a tremendous asset. Movies, the internet and television simply cannot replace the value of knowledge gained from reading both fiction and non fiction works. As a mother I feel a great responsibility to teach my children the value of reading. Knowing the condition of the world surrounding them makes me even more intent on nurturing their love for knowledge. So, for you readers, like me, Kudos. Keep it up, we need to stem the flow of general cultural illiteracy. And if you haven't picked up a book in a while, today would be a great day to start.

On a funner note, I did a lot of reading this week. I had a sick kid and couldn't get much else done. I finished a fascinating book titled "Beauty Junkies" chronicling cosmetic surgery in America. It discussed its history, recent developments, benefits and flaws. I found it a little disturbing- I guess according to some American subcultures I'd be fat, wrinkly, need bigger breasts and a cuter nose. But it was very interesting.
I also read a book called " The Good, Good pig." This book was a fun read, detailing the life of a hog and its owner over a course of 14 years. As an individual interested in animal welfare and National Geographic sort of things, I found the author and the subject manner compelling. It is interspersed with humorous anecdotes and life knowledge and is a great light read.
Another light read was "The Miracle at Speedy Motors" a No. 1 Ladies Detective agency novel by Alexander McCall Smith. If you have never picked up this series you may want to give it a shot. The author is a well traveled, well educated man and his books never fail to be a delight to read.
Phew! Of course, I don't always get that much reading in, especially when I'm taking my classes, but it is a real sanity saver. Please let me know what you think of this little rant and review if you read it ( :