By Ivy Powell
Reading isn’t as common anymore. With technology taking over it feels like society has turned the page on books.
But there is a large community of bookworms who refuse to let the passion die.
Asking questions, I learned a lot about how reading can impact lives and minds.
Books can be a chosen hobby, or one encouraged throughout readers’ lives. Naturally, in early to late education everyone experiences reading to a degree, with one reader explaining: “It started as my parents reading to me, then progressed to me reading once I learnt to do so in school.”
Given that reading is a passion often killed by time and the lack thereof for most people, it is common to wonder, where do people find time to read? You will see it on the train or sometimes through the dimly lit windows of a residential street.
Alex Bartley explained she often reads during break periods of work or further education but “also when I have no time to do so, like during peak times of stress”, having phenomenally read 39 books within her HSC year of high school.
“I would say it improved my vocabulary, broadened my knowledge, and gave me ways to put emotions into words,” said Alex.
Why would readers recommend reading to someone interested in doing so? You can just see the movie or watch a video summing it up. But there are significant positive impacts to reading.
“Being a creative, someone else’s creativity can really help to inspire me. And if the interest is appreciated [by] a group of people there is almost always a book on it. It can help broaden your worldview, give you access to information that you may have been unaware of prior and allow you to connect with your peers over the content you are reading.”
Reading will shape generations for years to come and even act as some peoples escape when necessary. Page or screen, people will always be feeding on reading.
Featured image: Reading is calling – but will young people pick up? Photo: Ivy Powell
