The NYT ran an article today about the future of reading and how the web is affecting/changing how kids read. I can’t say I agree with it, but it is interesting.
“Few who believe in the potential of the Web deny the value of books. But they argue that it is unrealistic to expect all children to read “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Pride and Prejudice” for fun. And those who prefer staring at a television or mashing buttons on a game console, they say, can still benefit from reading on the Internet. In fact, some literacy experts say that online reading skills will help children fare better when they begin looking for digital-age jobs.”
I don’t think everyone expects kids to read To Kill a Mockingbird for fun. Or Pride and Prejudice for that matter. But, these are the types of books you read when you are in school, and then go back to them later to discover that they actually were good stories and enjoyable reads. If you don’t read them in the first place, I highly doubt you are going to pick them up later in life and be able to actually appreciate them for what they are. I didn’t particularly love Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights when I read them in high school as part of required reading. But now I can really appreciate them. Plus, I would never have been able to enjoy any of the Thursday Next books if I hadn’t read the “classics” back in the day. And that would be a real shame.
