My friend Mimi shared an infographic on Facebook that showed some statistics about reading rates, specifically in the US, but I could not wrap my head around it.
You can see more about it here.
The first square reads: 25% of people over the age of 16 have not read a book in the last year.
I looked further into these statistics and found an article quoting a Gallup poll:
- 44% of adults don’t read a book in a year
- Six out of 10 households don’t purchase even one book a year
(On the other hand, one website quoted a statistic that the average Canadian adult reads for six hours every week – and 35% of Canadians are book club members. Feeling rather patriotic).
When I saw the original infographic – which the creator has now redone – and had these percentages of people who don’t read a book after high school, don’t read a book in a year, I literally could not wrap my head around it.
Just not ever reading is totally beyond my comprehension.
In my head houses are full of books. Both my parents had stacked bookshelves. I had a library card before I could talk. Books are part of life. Reading to your child is an essential part of parenting. Bonding happens over books.
I cannot understand a life without books. To steal a line from Rupaul, reading is fundamental.