By The Editorial Board
As kids, many of us were voracious readers. We could be found with a book in hand in a myriad of locations — on the playground, in the cafeteria or even on the five-minute drive to school. Sometimes we’d even stay up past our bedtime to read whatever book had our attention.
It didn’t matter the genre of book. As long as it had an interesting plot and fun characters, it would be read. Book length also didn’t matter; “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” could be read in a matter of hours. While installments in the classic “Percy Jackson” series could take a few weeks.
But something shifted in high school. As we began to read denser books for class, we found less time to read things that genuinely interested us. No hate for “The Odyssey” or “The Scarlet Letter,” but no 15-year-old would ever be excited to read those. Reading became something to dread, not something to look forward to.
The association of reading and school work killed many of our desires to get lost in a good piece of literature. That association only grew stronger as we entered college, with numerous pages of reading assigned each night. Not only did we lack any desire, but now we had no time in which we could.
That is until winter break or summer rolls around. It’s the awkward time gaps in between semesters that leave us with just enough free time that we can convince ourselves to make a trip to our local Barnes & Noble to empty our wallets. A problem that many of us face is that we are serial book collectors, not serial book readers.
Young men in particular seem to be interested in nonfiction, opting to read biographies like “Grant” by Ron Chernow, a 1,000-page tome about President Ulysses S. Grant. Self-help books have become increasingly popular over the past decade — texts like “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear, or “48 Laws of Power,” by Robert Greene.
Again, there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these titles, but they don’t tend to be as intellectually stimulating as the great works of fiction created in decades past. Fiction incites creativity, which is an essential driving force of humanity. Because ultimately it’s not the actual fiction itself that is the important part, but rather the place it brings us to.
Reading can be a means of escapism, a way of ignoring the horrors of everyday life. You might enjoy learning about ways to better yourself, but you are missing out on so many great authors and genres.
A common misconception is that fiction books are for kids, whereas adults should read books about war or complicated issues. This just isn’t the case.
There are a plethora of authors who write complex fiction for adults. One of the best is Andy Weir, best known for “The Martian.” Weir’s most recent book, “Project Hail Mary,” has a movie adaptation starring Ryan Gosling set to release early next year.
If there is a movie you love that’s adapted from a book, reading the source material is worth a try, as movies often cut out vital parts from the book.
If you try reading fiction and can’t vibe with it, no big deal. It may not be a good fit for your personal taste; however, we would encourage you to persevere through the first 50 pages of a book. Some stories can take a while to develop and may not be attention-grabbing at first.
In the end, it’s your life. Choose to read what makes you happy. But don’t be afraid to throw some fiction in there now and then.
