The Irrevocable Benefits of Reading

Think back to the first book you remember reading (mine was Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss-very sophisticated I know). Now, think about all the books you’ve read since then. Are you overwhelmed by the sheer number of books you’ve read? If the answer is no, you’re not alone. According to Author Gary W. Moore (Playing with the Enemy, Final Service, Hey Buddy), the act of reading is at an all-time low in the United States: 33 percent of high school graduates never read another book after graduation.

Another semi-sad fact is that 42 percent of college graduates never read another book after graduation. Equally sad is that 57 percent of purchased books are not read to completion! So many sad, lonely books. Finally, 80 percent of U.S. families did not purchase or read a book last year. Yikes.

Why should you care? Well for starters, this Oxford University Study found that teens who read are 39% (girls) and 58% (boys) more likely to hold a managerial or professional job. For teens who didn’t read, those numbers fell to 25% for girls and 48% for boys. To be short: reading makes you smarter.

I think people also forget how vital literacy is to function in society. What would happen if you couldn’t read or write? You’d have a difficult time landing a job, much less navigating the grocery aisle or understanding people from other countries or…