That got me to thinking about the difference between avid readers and those who either don't read at all, or who only read one of the obvious bestsellers once or twice a year. I wonder what turned some of us into readers and left so many others unblessed with the inclination? Is it genetic? Are some us simply born this way and others not?
It's kind of scary to think that something like a love of reading, something that has played such a large part in my life, was given to me through sheer, random chance. I have only one sibling, a non-reading brother, and I cringe to think that there was a 50-50 chance that I would miss out on the "reading gene" and that that little fellow would end up in my brother's DNA rather than in mine. Of course, he's probably just as happy being a non-reader as I am being a book nut since he has no way of knowing what he's missed. But still…the very thought shakes me a little.
I'm coming to believe that it is near impossible to turn a person who is inclined to be a non-reader into an avid one. Yes, you might be able to move them along the reading scale in that direction (as I’ve managed to do with my brother in recent years), but I don't believe that they will ever turn into the kind of book nut that so many of us were destined to be. That spark is either there, waiting to flame up when it's ready, or it's not there at all, and throwing all the gasoline in the world on it won't start a fire.
What has been your experience?
I'm coming to believe that it is near impossible to turn a person who is inclined to be a non-reader into an avid one. Yes, you might be able to move them along the reading scale in that direction (as I’ve managed to do with my brother in recent years), but I don't believe that they will ever turn into the kind of book nut that so many of us were destined to be. That spark is either there, waiting to flame up when it's ready, or it's not there at all, and throwing all the gasoline in the world on it won't start a fire.
What has been your experience?
It is certainly easier to become a reader if you are surrounded by people who read and think it is a worthwhile way to spend time. My parents were both big readers (my father even wrote a book about his work in the Kennedy Justice Department) so I don't remember anything else (although I hated not being able to read). It is much more surprising to me when avid readers emerge from families where there are no books and no interest. I have several friends who spent all their time at the library as children and didn't own books until their late teens.
ReplyDeleteMy paternal grandfather did not have much experience with children but babysat me once when I was 3 or 4. "Will he read me a book?" I asked my parents suspiciously, and he said rashly that he'd read me all my books! That was an offer I couldn't refuse! My parents got home, only to find Granddaddy asleep on a pile of books and me triumphant with the light on perusing my picture books! I don't think he dared babysit again!
I love the story about you and your grandfather. I can just picture that scene upon the return of your parents…priceless.
DeleteI came from a home with no books around, except for the ones my parents bought for me and my brother as children. I think my interest in reading was probably sparked by the weekly edition of Life Magazine that showed up in the mailbox every week. I remember being frustrated that there was obviously more to it than I was getting from the pictures. With an aunt’s help, I was able to read before starting school, so it managed to work out for me that way. And once I started reading, I just never stopped.
An interesting question. Why are some of us lifelong readers and others are not. I too cannot go anywhere without a book in my bag even if I know there will be no opportunity to read it from the supermarket to back home. I can't say that it was a specific book from my childhood that got me interested. But early on I somehow caught the bug and I am grateful!
ReplyDeleteI think that carrying a book around from place to place all the time gives readers a sense of peace in knowing that no matter how bad things around them fall apart during the day, they will never be bored by their surroundings. I sometimes find myself disappointed when the waiting room wait is shorter than I needed it to be in order for me to finish a chapter or a book.
DeleteGood question. My three siblings and I have all been avid readers so I would lean towards that we are born with something or some interest that makes it burst forth from us at some point. But your brother's differences with your avid book reading is a bit curious. Why did he never catch the bug? Was it busy work or family that kept him from it? I just wonder in general what makes people non-readers and I think back when I was in the midst of my busy career I was not able to read or concentrate much but when I quit that ... it took off like gangbusters.
ReplyDeleteI think my brother failed to catch the reading bug early on because he may have been a little dyslexic or suffering from undiagnosed ADD. Reading came slower and harder to him, I think, and he didn’t have good early memories from those experiences. I have two grandsons who went through the same thing. They both managed to overcome it, but it was a struggle, and to this day, reading takes a lot out of them.
DeleteI grew up in a house full of books and a family full of readers, so I always kind of thought environment played a huge role. But then with my sister's kids, two are avid readers and one is not; he likes certain books and will read those avidly, but is more content to engineer and LEGO in his free time rather than read. So obviously there's also something inside of us that makes us love books and reading...or not. I'm glad I got that reading spark. I don't know what I would do in life without a good book in my hand. ;D
ReplyDeleteI can’t imagine how great it must have been to grow up in a house filled with books. I grew up in a small town, one with a tiny library, especially the children’s section. I do remember riding my bicycle the six-mile round trip to bring new books home a couple of times a week during the summers, but any other books brought into the home were the paperbacks I bought with my own money. I remember being really excited when the convenience store down the street put in a rack of cheap paperbacks. I was off and running, for sure...
DeleteI have also been an avid reader really all my life. My mother taught me to read when I was 3 and I've just never stopped. That being said, she wasn't a big reader herself and neither were either of my siblings. Who knows why books speak to some of us so clearly and are so necessary? I'm grateful for books and how they have been my 'happy' place.
ReplyDeleteThat’s really early, Kay. You were so lucky that your mother opened that world to you despite not being an avid reader herself. I’m convinced that readers are created by some combination of genetics, environment, and circumstances.
DeleteNo one in my immediate family read fiction frequently like I did. My father would get new books from the library for himself every week or so. They were mostly (or all?) nonfiction and he loved art books. But the library was a big part of my life, so they supported my reading. My grandmother read fiction a lot and she enjoyed magazines. I was the least outgoing and my brother and sister were interested in other things, I guess.
ReplyDeleteYou were lucky that your parents supported your reading inclination without themselves being overly avid readers. I think that’s the best kind of parenting…allowing a child to explore and develop interests of their own. And then, making it all possible for them. What you say about your siblings being more outgoing than you makes me wonder if avid readers are more likely to be introverts than not. I know that as a child I always considered myself to be an introvert, but one who quickly warmed up to people who shared similar tastes or hobbies.
DeleteI know that my niece never read anything until she read Lonesome Dove at age eighteen. Suddenly she loved to read.
ReplyDeleteSo I think it can happen. In birding they talk about finding your Spark Bird. I believe in people finding their Spark Book. That's what my job as librarian is all about.
Love it! Lonesome Dove is my favorite book of all time, strange as that probably sounds. It’s one of the few books that I think I could recount the entire plot of, long as it is. I love the thought that it jumpstarted your niece into a reading life. “Spark Bird” is perfect.
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