The Triumph of the Readers

Ann Patchett had a nice piece in the WSJ a while back about numbers released by the NEA showing that the number of people reading fiction is on the rise. Especially surprising, perhaps, is the increase in the 18-to-24-year-old demographic.

There were a couple of passages that struck me, including this on reading bad books:

I am a firm believer in the fact that it isn't so much what you read, it's that you read. Reading fiction not only develops our imagination and creativity, it gives us the skills to be alone. It gives us the ability to feel empathy for people we've never met, living lives we couldn't possibly experience for ourselves, because the book puts us inside the character's skin....Even if you're stepping into "Valley of the Dolls," it's better than nothing. I'm all for reading bad books because I consider them to be a gateway drug. People who read bad books now may or may not read better books in the future. People who read nothing now will read nothing in the future.

I remember when I was younger and met kids who didn't read at all. It baffled me. I meet people today who don't read at all. And it still baffles me. They are missing out on so much.

And towards her closing:

If someone gave you a device with which you could see entire worlds just by holding it in front of your eyes, worlds of such beauty and complexity that they took your breath away, worlds of suffering and redemption, love and suspense and enlightenment, all of them there for the taking, wouldn't you want to show this device to everyone you knew? Why are more people reading? Because they are either discovering or remembering just how good it can be. I've got a book for you, my friend, all you've got to do is open it up.

Tonight I plan on seeing the world of Kars, Turkey. My viewing device is Snow, by Orhan Pamuk. I'll let you know how it turns out.