Bring on the Books

"Arts Report Reveals Johnny Won't Read," is an article that shows the decline of reading throughout the United States. The article gives you some statistics who's reading and who's not, but overall reading has dropped across the board. Have people not realized that reading is important?

Of course, the least amount of readers are among the Hispanic community. This infuriates me. Does the study take into account the Hispanics that don't know English, but read Spanish books all the times. For example, my parents read books all the time. They just don't read them in English. Does it also take into account the Hispanics that don't know how to read or write in their own language? I wonder what this study consists of.

From my experience, all of my Hispanic friends read, and a lot. I read all the time. I have books in English and Spanish. Have you seen my wish list on Amazon.com? One Christmas, I was repeatedly asked by my gift givers if I really wanted only books for X-mas. My response--yes.

Anyway, it is a very scary thought that people are not reading. You don't have to read historical books (like I do), but pick up a book. It's good for you. Besides you always end up learning new vocabulary, which makes you sound smarter and more educated. News flash--being well versed in numerous areas is very attractive. I'm not talking about sexually, either (although I love it when Dan starts spewing information that I don't have a clue of). Sitting down with a friend or a coworker and being able to discuss different topics makes you someone that might be useful at a future job.

My point: READ. Pick up a book and start reading. You don't have to read two to three hundred pages a day (I could do that at Dan's amazement, but I'm a bit freaky). Besides if you have kids, the best example you give them is picking up a book. Trust me on this. One important thing I remember from my childhood is my mother constantly reading. Watching her read, made me want to sit down with her and read too. In fact, now-a-days when Dan starts reading, I do the same thing. We lay in bed and spend an hour or so reading. It's very catchy.