Tuesday, September 29, 2015

8 Reasons People Don’t Read Books



Why do people read books?  Maybe a better question is “Why do people not read books?”

Many adults do not read books.  It’s hard to imagine.  They miss out on so much.  One would assume there are specific reasons why they don’t read. I can guess at a few:

1.      Literacy
2.      ESL
3.      Economics
4.      Time restraints
5.      ADHD/Leaning disorder
6.      Visual difficulties
7.      Migraines/medical condition
8.      Mental condition

But each of these reasons can be overcome.  Let’s examine them:

1.      Vision – Many people fail to get their eyes checked out by a doctor.  If they did, they’d be given the proper reading glasses, if needed.  If one’s vision is truly insufficient for reading, he or she can read braille or listen to an audiobook.

2.      Medical Condition – Some people can’t focus on a book because they are in pain.  Some might read to distract themselves from pain.  Obviously the sooner a medical condition can be diagnosed and treated, especially migraines, the more likely the patient can resume life’s normal activities.

3.      Psychological Condition – Similar to the medical condition, if a person allows a book to distract or calm himself, it’s a beautiful thing.  But therapy, medication, or other treatments may be needed to first kick in.  Our nation needs to better address the mental health question, and once it does, not only will we have a safer and saner society, but one that turns to books.

4.      Learning Disorder – Dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning disorders obviously impact one’s ability to sit still and read.  The sooner one can be diagnosed and treated for things that detract from reading, the better.

5.      Time Constraints – We all have busy schedules and demands relating to money, family, work, health, etc.  But we should find the time to read a book.  We can do it anywhere, anytime.

6.      Economics – Books have dropped in price, at least online, and many e-books are made available for free. You always can borrow from the library.  Money should not interfere with reading books.

7.      ESL – I encourage every American to learn English, but while you are learning the language, read books in your native tongue.  Don’t ever stop reading!

8.      Literacy – This is the trickiest of all and takes years to correct, but there are effective programs to address this. We just need to find such programs or volunteer to help, and we’ll make a big dent in the literacy crisis.

I didn’t include IQ on this list, simply because people at most IQ levels can still read, even if it's children’s board books, photography books, or educational materials.

For those of us who love, treasure, and understand the value of books, we can’t imagine living without books.  If we can even convert 10% of all the people currently not reading and consuming books, we’d increase book sales by tens of millions of copies annually.  Not only is that good for the book industry, it’s great for society.  

Encourage others to read a book, and if you learn of their reason for not reading, see if you can encourage them to get the proper help.  Their fulfillment of life depends on it.

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015

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