Be smart; don’t read
Okay, the topic title is a bit sarcastic, but look at this interesting statistic I found:
One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.
58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
42% of college graduates never read another book.
80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
57% of new books are not read to completion.
Source: http://www.JenkinsGroup.com
Maybe the guy is pulling these facts out his ass, I don’t know, but from general observation it’s true … AND INTERESTING.
Especially the first point. If adults don’t read another book after high school, it’s understandable, every one in slugging it out at work and punching the clock. Reading is a MUST.
Everyday I read, maybe from a magazine, a book or online. For example, right now I’m reading Zen Keys by Thich Nhat Hanh and Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples. Education is the key, and it doesn’t stop after high school (or middle school for some)
Reading is enriching … I especially like reading old biographies of world war II soldiers, stories of underground hackers, or a memoir of a white guy in Japan (it’s called Angry White Pyjamas: A Scrawny Oxford Poet Takes Lessons From The Tokyo Riot)
But I guess the thing with people not finishing books is distraction. It’s like a kid being in a carnival — sooooo many color lights and games and distraction. One thing I do is just sit and try to finish the book in one sitting. Of course that’s impossible for some book, but it’s doable.
(One time about 4 years ago, I read a 600 page novel in 7 days. Took me 6 hours of reading everyday … and it turned out to be a banal, crappy book. Ha ha)
