From the Tip of My Pen - A Writer’s Tip of the Month – October 2007
by Fran Stewart
The last time I was interviewed on the radio, this was one of the questions:
According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups. Why do Americans love books so much?
That sounds like an encouraging statistic, doesn’t it? Luckily, I knew about the question ahead of time, so I could formulate an answer, or at least the idea of an answer. Even without an interviewer asking, this is something that we as writers should think about. Without readers, we would be nowhere.
This country was founded by people who believed that unless people could read, they couldn’t vote intelligently. That still holds true today. The thought of five million Americans reading and discussing books is quite positive. I’ve seen statistics, though, that say that 30% of American adults are to some extent illiterate. That is not only shocking, but disturbing as well. When people vote based on sound bites put together by marketing companies, or speech-writers’ blurbs, then we ultimately get the government we deserve.
It’s good that there are five million people in book clubs. And there are many other people who love books but don’t join a reading group. That still leaves a couple of hundred million people who depend on television for their information and entertainment. I encourage people to buy books, particularly through independent bookstores, since that is one way to ensure that freedom of information will continue in this country.
I’m going to keep buying books by writers whose work I enjoy. That’s the way to be sure that quality books will always be available. I also threw out my TV set fourteen years ago. Try it, and then, if your heart leads you in that direction, perhaps you could consider volunteering with an adult literacy group.
Go on. I dare you. It’s a good idea.
Give me a good book any day.
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