McMurtry sees end of book culture

I guess a guy who's written 29 novels ought to have his say about this. See interview here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/6221607.html

Malcolm

He's right about being a pessimist. He's not looking hard enough.

If kids aren't reading then who the heck are reading JK and Stephanie's books?

I see plenty of tweens and teens with their noses stuck in books. (And their iPod stuck in their ears)

I agree with Elf, but who really knows?

My daughter and I gave my granddaughter the Twilight series of four very long books for Christmas. My 17 year-old granddaughter read them all before the end of Christmas vacation.

Carol

You know, he is right and he may be wrong. Books must reach those new technologies that capture kids attention. Our new president may help change things. He is known as an author and won a grammy for the audio version of one of his books. Obama could make reading and writing "cool".

There may be a new champion of the book in the oval office.

A recent survey by the National Endowment for the Arts (I saw it online several weeks ago) showed for the first time in years that more people are reading books.

It's too soon to know whether this is a trend or a momentary upswing.

If you have a Twitter account and would like to make a comment in my TwitterStorm survey about reading going up or down, go to:

http://tinyurl.com/bahdcp

Malcolm

deleted by merri

merrihiatt wrote:

Most of my friends who are avid readers now were read to when they were little. I think if you get kids in love with reading when they are young, they'll keep reading as they grow up.

I could not agree more.

I read (and sang) to my daughter while she was still in the womb! I have continued that till now, and she is almost 16.

When she was 12 I was homeschooling her and was writing Keechie at the
same time. I involved her in the entire process - writing, re-writing,
editing, signing the contract and then on into the marketing nightmare.

She is now an avid reader and writes really good stories and essays for her Lit class.

I hope I had something to do with that... LOL

Brew,


You "hope" you had something to do with it.
I am quite certain you did.

There is heredity and environment--sounds like you provided both.

I had three children within two years, very active twins, and the family comedian. Can you imagine trying to read to that group?

Out of that group, one is a reader.

Then there are my second group of kids. Much easier people to read to. There are six years between the oldest and youngest. The two youngest were girls four years apart in age and I read to them many nights, mostly the Little House books. All three of that group are readers.

Carol

One of the first books I read to Lynn was called Nighttime is a Quiet Time. "...a time when the busy day turns off the lights, and darkness wraps around you like a warm blanket..." See, after 40 years, I can still remember parts of it. I also remember walking by Susan's bedroom one night, and hearing Lynn read it to her.

It is also helpful if children see adults reading on a regular basis.

Ann

My husband read books all the time when our children were growing up. I didn't have the time and this made me angry, really angry. Then I went to graduate school and read lots of books. At the end of graduate school a friend said to me, "This is a wonderful thing you have done for your family."

I learned more than the subjects I took. I learned that being a mom was much more than having good meals on the table, clean clothes in closets, and a clean house. It was being one's authentic self, setting an example of being one's authentic self. Sometimes I think I am a better influence on my grandchildren than I was on my own children, but the tasks were there to be done: the cooking, washing clothes, cleaning. But I discovered that people survive without meat and potato meals and kids don't always pay attention to the clean house thing anyway. (I learned this when I went to their first apartments!)

Carol

It would also stand to reason that in hard times, things like the theater and movies would be more expensive than a good book. Entertainment is not always kept inside a tight budget. While the kids do have technology, those who have curious minds will surely turn to literature to satisfy some of those questions they have, and soon find a world of wonder within the pages of a book.

The television gets old, and one can only watch the same movies so many times. In a book, one can often get familiar with characters in a way you cannot on the screen. A good book can make a less than tidy house disappear and transport the reader to a faraway land or a fantasy world. I think as children come to realize that, more of them will read. I suppose Harry Potter is a good example, and I hope more children's books can prompt the kids to get 'into' reading.

My mother was a screech.
We lived out in the middle of nowhere and had no running water in our house.

She did not let a little thing like that dissaude her in her quest for perfection.

The table had to be set perfectly--I set it.

The beds had to be perfect-- I made them.

My coat must always be hung up perfectly on a hanger.


When I married and had children, I outdd her. Our daughter had a bath twice a day, I scrubbed my floors with boiling water and disinfectant. Germs did not thrive in my house.

Now that I am a Grandmother, I see the better, more relaxing way--throw everythng on the floor.

We always read to our kids and they are both readers.

Carol Troestler wrote:

My husband read books all the time when our children were growing up. I didn't have the time and this made me angry, really angry. Then I went to graduate school and read lots of books. At the end of graduate school a friend said to me, "This is a wonderful thing you have done for your family."

I learned more than the subjects I took. I learned that being a mom was much more than having good meals on the table, clean clothes in closets, and a clean house. It was being one's authentic self, setting an example of being one's authentic self. Sometimes I think I am a better influence on my grandchildren than I was on my own children, but the tasks were there to be done: the cooking, washing clothes, cleaning. But I discovered that people survive without meat and potato meals and kids don't always pay attention to the clean house thing anyway. (I learned this when I went to their first apartments!)

Carol

Everything you have said here, Carol, is so, so true.

Ann