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The vast majority of adults don’t read books nowadays. I recently got a stark reminder why. I started re-reading The Jungle, a depression era book by Upton Sinclair that I was required to read in grade school. This book, like many other “classics” at the time, describe every scene in nauseating detail. For example, the opening 50 pages was a single wedding. There was nothing attention-grabbing or particularly noteworthy, other than to paint a picture of a happy immigrant couple full of hope. I was bored out of my skull. If an adult who loves historical fiction is that bored, how do you think a grade school kid feels?
It made me think of other so-called literary classics I was required to read; for example, Mark Twain books. Although I found the storylines interesting, as a kid, I found the books difficult to follow since Twain tended to write dialogue using a pronounciation-of-words spelling that reflected accents, rather than the normal English language. For example, “Sometimes you gwyne to get hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to get sick….” And don’t even get me started on perhaps the most difficult-to-understand literature of all time: Shakespeare. Most adults have trouble interpreting Shakepeare, so how do you think kids who are still diagramming sentences and learning basic grammar feel about it?
Yes, I know. The literary classics have themes and deeper meaning, which as an adult I understand. But forcing kids to read these just teaches them that reading is a chore, reading is difficult, reading is a waste of time. But you can’t always blame teachers since their curricula are often set by bureaucrats in DC and their state capitals. Then again, sometimes you can blame the teachers. As a kid, I liked a series of books featuring a character named Runaway Ralph, a motorcycle-riding mouse. Yes, it sounds cheesy, no pun intended, but I enjoyed them–I looked forward to reading them. I also loved sports books, such as one featuring Terry Bradshaw and the Steel Curtain defense. Despite the fact these were 200+ page books, I distinctly remember my grade school teacher humiliating me in front of the class for choosing these unintellectual choices that didn’t meet her snobbish, egghead literary standards.
Luckily, I ignored her and continued to read the kind of books I loved, largely out of spite. Reading skills are cumulative. The more books you read, the easier they become. Your understanding increases. The time it takes to finish a book decreases. If I had stuck to the boring so-called classics forced on me in school, I may have developed the disdain for books that most adults nowadays feel. Eventually my love of reading led me to books on history, psychology, self-improvement, economics, and so much more.
So, a lesson for homeschoolers out there, or teachers who have flexibility enough to set curricula, encourage students to read what they love….Harry Potter, Stephen King, Twilight, Star Wars, or even comic books. Skip the so-called classics for now, or at least the ones that are excruciating slogs of boring old-school writing.
I’m still reading The Jungle, but I’ve finding it more and more difficult to see why it’s considered a classic that must be forced on elementary-aged kids. Could it be that it’s an anti-capitalism book written by a socialist muckraker? Surely, the government wouldn’t push such books on impressionable youth. 🤔
Blog Link: https://educationdojo.com/study-break/2025/02/02-13-education-dojo-daily/#random_thoughts
100% agree about the book thing. I don’t remember if it was The Jungle or something similar, but I got assigned that in freshman year and hated every page. I think I read the first 2 chapters and stopped. Then the night before the book report was due, I read the last chapter and wrote a report based on those 3 chapters. I got a D and a lecture, so apparently she knew what I did. There’s no way that book should be a classic.
More generally, I think it’s also a time thing too. Smart phones, computers, blogs, video, etc. all take our time in dibs and drabs and by evening we’re spent. I used to read 2 or 3 books a week (mostly sci-fi or fantasy stuff) but right now I can’t remember the last time I read a book. I used to carry a paperback everywhere, if I had 10 minutes to spare I’d open it up and read a chapter wherever I was. Now I pop out the phone. That’s a habit I need to break. Right after I finish my morning routine of reading a dozen or so blog updates. (sigh).
I still prefer actual books when I read them…Great site called Paperback Swap allows you list books that you no longer want and get free books from others who have listed theirs… I use it all the time… If someone wants a book you listed you send it to them… You then have credit to get a book from someone…
Great memes as usual!!…
Solid dissertation. some of the “classics” I just couldn’t bite into, some were great- they ran the gamut. Recently I began randomly buying some classics, and I hope to keep doing so- just to have. I’d love to have a library one day…
But to the point- “read everything” was the best advice I’ve ever followed. Don’t limit yourself. I believe in a “law of exponential increase” and the ability to build spatial intelligence simply by doing. Example- when my boys were younger drivers, I taught them how to change a tire, then do an oil change, then brakes, etc. Before long- they were building the synapses to take on larger jobs- just because they started doing and putting it together in their heads. Reading and self-education is like this too, I am convinced. The smartest- and wisest- among us are largely self-taught if the two are to exist in balance. Sure, there are some super intelligent people in a field or area of dedicated study, but they often lack real world application or wisdom. Anyway…what were we talking about?
Yes, Ralph from “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” rules.
Sits on a shelf within 3 ft of me right now.