I'm trying to understand people who don't read for pleasure.

@laughoutlood,

laughoutlood wrote:

I'm trying to understand people who don't read for pleasure.

Yes, it's quite the mixed bag and hatful here.

But then I always enjoyed talking about me mostly.

Is that your favorite subject ?

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I too believe the freedom to choose is an important part of making a reader, tsar. To this day I always welcome opinions on books but hate it when someone tries to push one on me and I've never understood the appeal of book groups where everyone has to read the same book.

Mo brought home a graphic novel from the school library once but that was because he'd already read all the books about snakes and sharks and armies. He's not much into fiction. Are their "true" comics?

You've made me remember my little self eagerly awaiting the mailman who delivered my copy of "Weekly Reader"! I still love newspapers and magazines.

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My family didn't have books either, msolga, we couldn't afford them. We did spend every weekend at the library, my father in the 3rd floor reference room and us kids sprawled around elsewhere. You can't really get away with that anymore -- leaving your unattended children in a public building for hours on end.

Your "life raft" idea is lovely. Maybe pleasure reading is simply a safe way to escape. I loved books about horses and dogs, two things I couldn't have.

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

I too believe the freedom to choose is an important part of making a reader, tsar. To this day I always welcome opinions on books but hate it when someone tries to push one on me and I've never understood the appeal of book groups where everyone has to read the same book.

Mo brought home a graphic novel from the school library once but that was because he'd already read all the books about snakes and sharks and armies.
He's not much into fiction.

Are their "true" comics?

I can bring him some, if he 'd like.
How does he feel about Superman, from the 1940s or 50s ?

boomerang wrote:

You've made me remember my little self eagerly awaiting the mailman who delivered my copy of "Weekly Reader"!
I still love newspapers and magazines.

I used to go to the candy stores to get comics.

David

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@Thomas,

Quote:

I think it's a straightforward case of Sturgeon's Law: "Ninety percent of everything is crap." Why should human brains be any different?

I think it's safe to say that a goodly percentage of books are crap so where does that leave us?

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@tsarstepan,

I loved the library as a child - I could walk to one of the local branches - it was a gold mine to be able to pick out several books to read.

It seems many of the local smaller branches are closed. Might prevent more kids from having easier access to the library.

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Here are some American literacy/reading statistics to consider. Ability and disability clearly figure into this discussion: http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#readingstatistics

Beyond that, I think there's merit in the argument that digital distractions steer people away from books, though not so much with respect to the theory that young peoples' attention spans are being warped.

Reading is an action and, therefore, work. We actively retrieve information from books. With TV the information comes to us. Video games only require us to react. Many people are lazy.

Avid readers, I think, are conditioned such that they are aware only of the reward of reading and are barely conscious of the "work" it requires.

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@OmSigDAVID,

That's a very nice offer but it isn't necessary. Thank you though.

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@boomerang,

Did you read the Walter Farley collection? That was my favorite. I loved to read about horses.

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

That's a very nice offer but it isn't necessary. Thank you though.

OK

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@Linkat,

I surely did. And the Marguerite Henry books too.

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@Gargamel,

Those are interesting facts, Gargamel, thanks for the link.

This one really caught my eye:

Quote:

Forty-four percent of American 4th grade students cannot read fluently, even when they read grade-level stories aloud under supportive testing conditions.

I never push Mo to read aloud because I have trouble remembering what I've read when I read aloud. It's weird. Does anyone else have that problem?

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I might be a potential candidate for your study. I seldom read for pleasure. I sometimes read for pleasure while on vacation or when I've got scheduled down time (sitting in a waiting room or otherwise away from home and not otherwise occupied) but I almost never sit down with a book while at home. OTOH, I'm reading along here and elsewhere on the internet and find that pleasurable, but that's mostly reality based. I don't read to escape - ever.

My mother was an avid reader. She was a librarian and was surrounded by books day and night. She had at least a dozen books going at a time. She'd oftentimes be late getting out of the house in the morning because she'd become engrossed in her reading and lost track of time. That's never happened to me. She was also very "wordy" in general. She was a romance languages major and latin scholar. She played scrabble and did crossword puzzles. I hate word-based games. I'm very analytical and in the moment. I'm much happier playing sudoku or kenken. I can't say that I ever look to escape my current reality whereas my mother spent much of her time lost in books. My father was also very analytical so maybe there's a genetic component involved.

I don't know what I can offer to help you understand folks who don't read for pleasure but I'm one example you can ping.

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@boomerang,

Yes - loved them as well. I think Misty might have been my first "horse" book.

I talked my daughter into reading the Black Stallion as part of her summer reading last year. She liked it, but not the way I did.

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@boomerang,

Yes - I am better reading in my head. I can retain it - but my mind seems to drift when I read aloud.Wonder why?

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@JPB,

Well I must be a strange one - I like word puzzles and analytical puzzles.

My mom also likes both and she doesn't read for pleasure as in novels - but will read magazines and newspapers.

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@JPB,

Thanks JPB!

Do you think your mom's love of reading influenced your lack of love of reading?

I ask this because my mom loved football. Sunday afternoons at our house were essentially motherless because of football. She was worse than any beer commercial man or sit-com dad when it came to watching football. I absolutely cannot stand the sounds of a televised football game.

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

Thanks JPB!

Do you think your mom's love of reading influenced your lack of love of reading?

I ask this because my mom loved football. Sunday afternoons at our house were essentially motherless because of football. She was worse than any beer commercial man or sit-com dad when it came to watching football. I absolutely cannot stand the sounds of a televised football game.

I 've never seen the point of athletic competition.

Y shoud I care which group of strangers prevails over which other group of strangers??

David

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@OmSigDAVID,

I'm not a sports nut but I enjoy watching sports. I even enjoy going to a football game. I just can't stand the sound of football on TV.

And I know you like Top Shots...

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@OmSigDAVID,

Ah boom - my original point -

Some people like reading/some people don't
Some people like sports/some don't

I think it could be a variety of reasons why you like or do not like something (of which part could be your past experience either positive or negative).

Seems David you don't tend toward being competitive (or perhaps physical). Curious - are you competitive in other ways - ie like to beat others academically or at a board game or trivia?

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I'm trying to understand people who don't read for pleasure.

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