Post #6

Readicide is not only a problem in schools but a problem in the world as a whole. Literature, no matter the genre, has died off without plans of being brought back. With the advances in technology that provide worldwide information at the touch of a button, books aren't as big a part of society as they used to be. They were included in daily routines because they had to be. They were where information came from, where information was stored, and where information was shared. Anymore, books can't be seen as efficient because efficiency is wrongfully assumed to only come from technology. The books we read in school shouldn't have to be forced upon us. We should be given a chance to choose a book, within limitations, that fits our own interests. A 21st century English class reading list should contain current best sellers and top rated works for the age of the class. Ten year olds should not and cannot be expected to read Gatsby and completely comprehend everything the book portrays, while eighteen year olds should not and cannot be expected to follow closely to a book written 50 years ago about nothing that has anything to do with their current world. Reading books not only expands the mind, it tests our mental capacities. It provides an alternate reality and endless possibilities because we, as a conscious population, fear the end. In writing, there doesn't have to be a mortal end, and that strikes the interest of the vastness of the population. The idea of reaching beyond our own limitations and grasping the unknown and making it known is mesmerizing. Books that can't capture an audience in the first few pages are books that will be dreaded and will only cause the decay of our generation's reading ability/necessity.