Why is it so hard to read?

Why don't people like to read in America? How can we encourage people to read more? Why hasn't this problem improved? This is what we are going to find out today!

Why People Don't Understand Books Well

Many people believe that the reason that we don't read as much in America is due to people spending their time on social media, this however, is not actually the truth. A lot of the issues with Americans not reading is lack of education and the failure of the American Education System.

The Problems With The American Education System

Many Americans don't get enough knowledge through the K-12 American School System and many who only went through the K-12 system struggle with finding facts relating to reading or understanding idioms and almost all struggle with comparing articles, evidence, and opinions. There is also the issue of the lack of general knowledge that is needed to understand topics and abstract or ambiguous ideas. This is an issue that even good readers struggle with. Generally a person can better understand a book if they know more about the topic that they are reading about currently. What this all means is that if readers have neither the general knowledge required to understand a reading nor have the ability to find the knowledge they need to understand a reading than it will be hard for them to enjoy and understand what they are reading.

How We Can Improve Our Education System

In order to improve our Education System we could try to teach readers more information about what they are reading and what they would need to do in order to find more information if they are struggling to understand what they are reading. This should be paralleled with diverse readings that can allow kids to pick up diverse knowledge and allow kids to be able to learn how to better understand readings that they wouldn't normally read. One other skill that should be taught more is rhetorical analysis which would help kids understand why something was written and how the different parts of a writing are able to convey different ideas and feelings. If students can do more complex analysis of writings than they should be able to do less complicated analysis when reading.

The Benefits of Reading

There are many advantages to reading with the primary advantage being that it strengthens your brain. But it can also have many mental health advantages such as aiding in depression and decreasing stress. It can also help you think more critically and can help you learn. It is also entertainment and a good release. It can also be a great escape from real life and a book can bring you to another world away from your problems. Also it may even improve sleep and lengthen your lifespan.

How Can You Start to Read More

One thing that can really help you to read more is to get into a habit of reading or schedule and dedicate some time out of your day just to read. If you want to just start to get into the habit you could start with with audiobooks which can provide you a similar experience as reading and possibly get you into the habit of reading, but sadly audiobooks may not give you the exact same experience as reading and you may end up directing your attention more towards other things and not giving as much attention to the "reading" process. Another thing that can help is setting reading goals for how much you'd like to read in a certain amount of time. A book club is also be a great way to encourage yourself to read more since you are in a community of people who like to read and the book club will set deadlines for you.

Find A New Book To Read

Sources

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/sunday/how-to-get-your-mind-to-read.html

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books

https://markhampubliclibrary.ca/blogs/post/top-10-benefits-of-reading-for-all-ages/

https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/benefits-of-reading-rcna61735

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2xTPv88xR0nt1GVhQZRKt1L/want-to-read-more-books-ten-tips-to-help-you-turn-over-a-new-leaf

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Travis Scharich Research