As technology continues to advance, people have opted out of reading book for their own pleasure. I often see kids complain about reading assigned books because they’re “boring. ”  Personally, I enjoy reading on my own time, and it is sad to see that others do not enjoy it as much as I do. To try and persuade more people to start reading, I’d like to offer some statistics.

According to the article, “27 Percent of U.S. Adults Didn’t Read a Single Book Last Year” written by Erin Blakemore, she stated that 27% of people didn’t read. According another article, “Why Reading Books Should Be Your Priority, According to Science” written by Christina DesMarais says reading isn’t done often. More than 26% of the American adults haven’t read a book for at least a year. The first article was written in 2015 while the second article was written in 2018. The percentage went down by one percent, but that isn’t much. There are no percentages for this year, but I hope this article will urge people to help the percentage go down significantly. It’s sad to see that people don’t read because books are more than just words on a page.

Back to the article, “Why Reading Books Should Be Your Priority, According to Science” written by Christina DesMarais, it states that people who read, live longer. Yale researchers have studied 3,635 people over the age of 50 and concluded that people who read books for at least 30 minutes a day live an average of 23 months longer than non readers. It all comes down to the stimulation of your brain, which is vital as you grow older. It will also improve vocabulary and cognitive skills. They also concluded that it can help improve social interaction which can result in greater levels of joy and ultimately help people live longer.

I know that some people may be embarrassed to admit that they read books, but you shouldn’t be scared. A lot of high school students read and aren’t afraid to admit it.

“IT by Stephen King is my favorite book and I love it because it is chilling with the descriptions within the chapters I read, and it embeds psychology within it while also giving a descriptive background on each character and their life and why they turn out the way they do,” said Isis Lartigue, (12).

“My favorite book is The Maze Runner and I read this book because it is so interesting and on every page that I turn there is a new adventure that brings me more excitement,” said Trinity Meza, (12).

In conclusion, reading is fundamental. I hope this article will persuade people to pick up a book, no matter how long, and read it. One book can change your life for the better.

Check out our school library or our local library for books that may interest you.  Or order a book from Amazon or borrow a book from a friend.