The Books Briefing: How Gen Z views books as a waste of time

An alarming phenomenon has occurred in recent years: many students arrive at university unprepared to read an entire book. That’s a broad statement I’m making, but I spoke with 33 professors at some of the country’s top universities. And they told me the same story again and again. As I mentioned in my last article on this topic. One Columbia professor said his students were overwhelmed by the idea of ​​reading so many books per semester. A professor at the University of Virginia told me that his students shut down when they are confronted with concepts they don’t understand. Criticizing the literacy of young people is a centuries-old pastime. But in the past decade It seems that something has clearly changed. Most professors I spoke with said they had seen a change in the way students engage with literature from generation to generation.

Why does this happen? Smartphones and social media have an alluring appeal. And it appears that many middle schools and high schools are teaching fewer full books. (One student arrived at Columbia reading only poetry. excerpt and news articles in schools), but one possible reason for my nod to my article is a change in values. not ability The problem is not that “Today’s kids” are curious or disinterested in reading. Young people, on the other hand, may respond to the cultural message: Books aren’t that important.

Teachers I spoke with didn’t think their students were lazy. If anything, they were shocked by the kids’ schedules. College has too much work schedule and anxiety these days. And they saw that students’ class schedules were filled with activities less related to personal development and more related to future employment. “There are too many demands on time and focus on effortless or full immersion in literature, which can take up to 20 hours to consume,” James Shapiro, an English professor at Columbia, told me in an email in 2016. 1971 37 percent Students say their main goal in college is to be financially sound. Seventy-three percent said it was developing a meaningful philosophy of life. By 2015, those numbers had nearly reversed. Eighty-two percent of students said it was important for them to use college to be in good financial shape. while 47 percent said they wanted to develop a meaningful life philosophy, said Joseph Howley, professor of classics at Columbia. Experts and parents emphasize preparatory curriculum and downplay the importance of humanistic education. In this environment Spending hours reading a novel may seem counterproductive.

In some ways, this is a hopeful conclusion: if we change the things we hold dear in praise, It is also the reason we can turn around as a society. The responsibility doesn’t just lie with Gen Z. Everyone who is unhappy with change has a role to play in reversing it.

An elite college student who can’t read

By Rose Horovich

To read in college Reading in high school will be helpful.

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Things to read

good talkBy Mira Jacob

Jacob’s graphic conversational memoir takes a lot of courage to write. It begins like this: The author’s white daughter-in-law supports Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and her beloved family is at breaking point. good talk It was a funny and painful answer to the question of Jacob’s 6-year-old son, who is half-Jewish and half-Indian. On Race, Family, and Identity Jacob, who was raised in the United States by immigrant parents from India, It beautifully showcases her developmental experiences. Experience respectable politics Color in the Indian community Her bisexuality and her place in America She refuses to make fun of the book’s less sassy characters, for example the rich white woman who hires Jacob to write a biography of her family. And it ends with her questioning her honesty and revealing too many gruesome details about the 2-year-old’s death from cancer. Jacob’s ability to humanize the people who caused her grief was powerful. My daughter was too young to ask questions, but one day, when she started asking about the world she inherited, I can tell you As Jacob told his son, “If you still have hope, darling, so can I.”

From our list: What to read if you’re upset about the election.

Out next week

rivalBy Jane Peck

Shutting down the systemBy Gabriel Corn

When we sell the eyes of God By Alex Cuadros

Your weekend read

Thanksgiving should be in October.

By Ellen Cushing

There is a better way to do things, and in fact other countries already do it. That country is Canada. and will celebrate Thanksgiving in October. We should too.

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