If books weren’t important, would Hitler have burned them?

Reading, in many cases, serves as an escape from reality. It takes a person’s mind off of their troubles. We’re transported into a different place, a different time. We become the characters in the book, and we’re pulled from our own troubles into a life of adventure.

Just as we can lose ourselves in stories, we can find ourselves in them.

David Mikics from New York Times wrote in his editorial, “In Praise of (Offline) Slow Reading,” that “recent work in sociology and psychology suggests that reading books, a private experience, is an important aspect of coming to know who we are.”

The mark of a great story is it’s relatability; if the reader finds themselves in the story, their enjoyment of the story heightens–and they find a little bit of who they are.

The only thing that offers more cultural awareness than books is traveling itself. However, as traveling to different countries can be pretty pricey (not to mention the planning and time that goes into an international trip), reading offers a cheaper, more accessible alternative for growing familiar with foreign cultures.

Independent reading has also been proven to have an effect on the achievement of the student.

S. Jay Samuels and Yi-Chen Wu from the University of Minnesota ran an experiment to test this.

“Data analysis found that more time spent reading had a significant effect on achievement compared to a control condition where less time was allocated for independent reading,” Samuels and Wu wrote in their report.

Many students claim they don’t read because they don’t have time.  But could it be that they just use that time in different, less beneficial ways?

Elona Hartjes, a retired teacher who now writes for the blog, Teachers at Risk wrote, “Young people now devote an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes to daily media use, or about 53 hours a week — more than a full-time job.”

The time spent on social media sites could be reduced, and leave much more time for things like reading and real socializing.

Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2014-2015 Periscope staff, CHS Administration or the CHS student body.