Whatever Happened to Reading Rainbow?

In an article written by David Mehegan and published November 19, 2007 entitled "Young People Reading a lot less" it seems as though them goddamned kids don't feel like learnin' themselves none.

Of course, the best way of bringing to light this problem is through a nice easy, recreational read consisting of a 99-page compendium comprised of more than 40 studies by universities, foundations, business groups, and government agencies. Yet, I have a fishy feeling that nobody is going to read it - go figure.

Some of the statistics included lament that only 30% of 13-year-olds read almost everyday. 17-year olds that never read for pleasure has increased from 9% in 1984 to 19% in 2004. Half of Americans between 18 and 24 never read for pleasure. The average 15-24-year old spends time for 2 1/2 hours watching TV and 7 minutes reading (I'm supposing the rest of the time consists of flowery field romping).

Although these saddening statistics have been met with proportional dismay by the likes of NEA chairman Dana Gioia, there doesn't seem to be any kind of solution to the problem besides writing about it or shaking one's head back and forth slowly whilst muttering "kids these days."

Gioia stated in the abovementioned article "we are losing the majority of the new generation. They will not achieve anything close to their potential because of poor reading."

I personally do not see what the big conundrum is. What are all these complicated research excursions and hefty manuscript sized reports accomplishing? Hell, I don't blame the poor little bastards for straying away from recreational reading. What is there to read?

The article goes on to state that 9-year olds are increasing exponentially while 17-year olds' scores have dropped down pathetically. However, it's obvious these statistics emerge because Dr. Seuss is timeless. The fact is that the steep descent from intelligent rhymes about fabled pink fuzzy thingamabobs to gruesomely painful pre-teen literature - the likes of which would turn any would-be avid intellectual literate into a jaded cynic at a very early age - is just part of the growing lack of intriguing ink.

So when ol' Gioia says that "we're not asking them to read Proust in the original, we're talking about reading the daily newspaper" I wonder why it's so staggering that only a third of the high school seniors read at a proficient level - a 13% decline sine 1992.

Has it ever dawned on these silly statistical soothsayers that perhaps it is the fact that mundane newspaper reading (a brain rotting activity in and of itself) should not be used to instill literary interest within the hearts of today's modern YouTube junkie? I say make them read Proust. Yeah, and maybe it'll be truer to the soul than the Washington Post.

It further boggles my mind concerning these seemingly commendable groups' confusion about young people's lack of reading when Gioia goes onto state "first, something is happening in our educational system. Second, we are surrounded by nonstop media, but for the most part it does not acknowledge reading. Third, our live are completely cluttered with a million gadgets." This all seems to describe our presently growing public school curriculums complete with an overabundance of educational movies, encouragements to bring laptops and the overwhelming amount of gadgetry that has infiltrated the learning centers of America.

If we are indeed surrounded by nonstop media and millions of gadgets, then why bring all of that into the schools? Something most certainly is happening in our educational system and the something is a whole lot of brain numbing jargon, which has effectively replaced good old fashioned wise black & white leather-bound words of enlightenment with dramatic in-class History Channel series and Biography Channel episodes about whatever fireside poet the high school English class is forced to teach about this year.

Perhaps one of the most overwhelming reasons of why no one gives a shit about reading now is due to the lack of…well… good reading. Yet, Patricia S. Schroeder President and Chief Executive of the Association of American Publishers can't seem to figure out what to do about her most common complaint from children and parents, which she echoes in the article by stating "reading is not really easy -- unless they get into something they really want to read about." Hmm… it's hard to read a stupid book - who'da thunk it?

-William
www.William-Mac.com
www.ThisWeekinTime.com

I don't believe this at all. Good reading still exists. The books that were around when reading rates were much higher did not suddenly fall off the face of the planet. They were not destroyed in massive, all-inclusive book fires. The classics, the good books we USED to read, have been tossed out of schools by parents who complain for one reason or another that those are books their children SHOULD NOT be reading, so the kids get stuck with contemporary crapola that they all hate reading, but that is stamped with the parental approval. *gack*

TL;DR.

Crapola to the max, you're entirely right. Yet, I think you would also agree that there aren't many books coming today that are worth reading at all, which is a shame. It may even be a side effect of the malnourished yet entirely Federally dependent public school system filled with scared teachers that can't utter individual intelligence -- who knows?

There may be some good books out today, though. I'll admit I'm out of the loop with what' current in literature right now.



-William
www.William-Mac.com
www.ThisWeekinTime.com

And yet, you seem to have so much to say on the subject.

Also TLDNR.

This is a really good point.

Look, if you have something to say about it, then say it. Find something intelligent that has been written in the last 5 years instead of shooting out a one liner with no backbone.

I can't stand that.



-William

Since when have the majority of kids EVER been into reading since they invented tv? This is nothing new.

See, this is where our problem lies. If you had been literate, silly Crispy, you would have spelled at acronym correctly!

Are you auditioning for Newswire Idol?

Can I be Paula?

message board signatures are the crutch of pompous assholes, FYI. like it's supposed to make your post any more important or sincere.

-crisp

you haven't heard? The bookmobile was carjacked by a band of 5th grade ruffians. They've been on an epic criminal adventure the likes of which has no rival in modern fiction. Viv' les petite violants!

Five years is a completely arbitrary time frame, but I'd say "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy counts, at the very least, as "something intelligent".

And man, did they stop printing Judy Blume books or something?

Edit: And nothing would have turned me off reading more than if I was a teenager and some condescending windbag suggested I read Proust instead of the "mundane" things I was reading at the time.

Middlesex was pretty awesome.

So what? There are still 987450984752049 classics out there that are available for kids to read. And if you think honestly that there aren't any good books that have come out in the last five years, you need to stop pretending to be Zagat's little brother and start using the Pulitzer nominees as a reading list.

There is a good reason I did say that. I haven't been digging through children's books in the past couple years to make the statement. Although, with a 6-year old running around who reads at a 5th grade level, I'm about to. She came trotting over the other day with "Pretty Penny and her Posh Puppy"...which was a ridiculous book about a girl who totes her dog around in a dog-purse and talks on a cell phone and shops. Ok...she's reading...I should probably stand up and cheer, but I sneakily slid that book under the newspaper and handed her "Where the Sidewalk Ends" instead. A book that many schools have banned because some of the poems in it are "inappropriate." She sat there, giggled hysterically, and learned that if you don't take the trash out it will pile up to the ceiling.

If anyone has the interest, PM me books that you read when you were young and ENJOYED. There is a child I know who is getting some books for Christmas.

I'd like to hope maybe they will start caring.




-William
www.William-Mac.com
www.ThisWeekinTime.com

eh?
What do you got in that cup of yours?!



-William
www.William-Mac.com
www.ThisWeekinTime.com

I'm just blatantly whoring out my websites is all. That alright Mr. Crisp?



-William
www.William-Mac.com <------KAPOW!
www.ThisWeekinTime.com <------- BAM!!

A bookmobile? I'm going to have to read a book, figure out how that takes off.



-William

You didn't have a bookmobile in Buford, GA? Many library districts have them (or had? or maybe just Ohio?). It's a big van/bus thing that travels around like a mobile library to rural areas and pushes words on the youths. Heavy on The Hardy Boys, not so much the Proust.

I figured 5 years was pretty recent. OK, The Road is a goodin'. A friend of mine let me borrow Blood Meridian a few weeks ago and I entirely digested the thing. 1985, but still, McCarthy is a fantastic writer.

So far my favorite paragraph out of the entire book has been the following:

"There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto, said the Mennonite. He had been holding his hat in his hands and now he set it upon his head again and turned and went out the gate."

Chapter 3, page 41

Always really fantastic stuff with him.



-William
www.William-Mac.com
www.ThisWeekinTime.com

As an avid reader and full-time writer, I can honestly say I'm not some ignorant son of a bitch.

However, I personally have not read a lot of books within the past five years (which I figured was a good mark for "recent") that have really struck me as something special.

Christ, you people are cut throats.




-William
www.William-Mac.com
www.ThisWeekinTime.com

How in god's name did we get from children's literature to Blood Meridian?

I think this thread is done.