As of right now, there are about six piles of ten books each stacked on the floor of my room. I’m a little surprised the library hasn’t yelled at me yet. Several weeks later, my mom informed me that they reprimanded her instead. 

Lately, I have been in somewhat of a reading slump. I will take ten or fifteen books to my bed and just lay there flipping through the first few pages of each until I find something I like. Very often, I never find anything that I like. So, I posed this issue with my mother. 

She, besides recommending me at least ten different books to try (many of which I loved and discovered that my mom is typically right), opened my eyes to the possibly rising issue of kids, young adults, and adults across the world. People are simply ceasing to read. 

As it turns out, reading has dropped dramatically. One article categorizes people by age groups: college students, men, women, adults, and young adults. According to Gallup, researchers claim that college students read about 14.6 books a year in 2021 compared to the 21.1 books in 2002. Women are found to read 15.7 books in 2021 compared to 19.3 books between 2002 and 2016. Similarly, adults 55 and older read, on average, 12 a year in 2021 compared to 16.7 between 2002 and 2016. 

Of course, as our world develops, so do libraries. According to Overdrive, 555 million digital copies of books were checked out in 2022 from a total of 129 library systems. I suppose it is good to have people reading digitally, but it also impacts how many physical books are read. However, reading on a kindle or phone is better than not reading at all. 

When it comes to leisure activities and free time, many other sources have taken up the spot claimed by reading. Video games, television, social media, and sports, continue to increase as the amount of books read drops. 

However, Statescoop claims that “a 2023 report by the American Library Association found that Gen Z and millennials are changing the way public libraries serve their communities, especially as libraries expand their digital collections and services.” 

It’s important that everyone finds a really good book that they are willing to read. Because if you’re willing to read it, then maybe you’ll finish it. Many of those 60 books sitting on my floor will be returned to the library completely unread after I have renewed them each six times. But, there might be five that shifted from their position on the floor to my hands and later returned to the library well read and with a five star review.