As high school graduates, we all have had experience with “readicide.” Though you might not be familiar with that specific term, I guarantee you are aware of the systematic killing of the joy of reading it encompasses.
Readicide can manifest itself in a variety of ways, but one of the most common symptoms is the death of recreational reading. The overuse of dense and unrelated literature, particularly in school, leaves people disenchanted with all kinds of reading, personal and educational alike.
Even for those of us who have escaped readicide, plenty of other obstacles prevent us from reading for fun.
The lack of leisure time endemic to college life keeps you from participating in even the least mentally demanding tasks when you’re free, so you can forget investing emotionally in the time-consuming act of reading.
Our education already requires a sometimes excessive amount of interaction with dry and, dare I say, boring texts. It’s no wonder the last thing we feel like doing after finishing our homework is opening a book, especially when pressing play on Netflix is so easy. But as your parents might have told you, most things worth doing aren’t easy.
Recreational reading can undoubtedly be a hassle, so what makes it worth committing to? It would be easy to bombard you with a plethora of recreational reading studies that demonstrate its many benefits, but that would make this column as bad as a textbook, and I will not have your readicide on my conscience.
First is the obvious academic benefit. The more you practice reading, the better you become. Cracking open a book gives you the opportunity to gain new literary skills, along with improving your grammar and vocabulary (which will no doubt come in handy during your mandatory professional writing class).
The best part is you don’t have to read a literary classic to improve your reading ability; just pick something that activates your mind. Of course, not everything we do has to improve our GPAs. Reading is also a great break from daily doldrums.
Focusing on a story or article pulls you away from your own reality, giving you a chance to stretch your imagination and temporarily shed the stress of your own troubles. It provides the mental and physical break that so many college students tend to go far too long without.
The real question is not whether picking up a book is worth your while but how to get started. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to incorporate recreational reading into your schedule without going so far as to start a book club.
Summer “vacation,” with its leisurely evenings and homework-free weekends, is the perfect time to kick-start your reading habit. Bring a book on your family camping trip or maybe trade a rerun of Pawn Stars for an hour in literary bliss.
So whether you are reading Harry Potter for the 394th time, catching up on the comics you haven’t opened since you were 10 or browsing a Reader’s Digest, try to make reading a part of your routine.
If you make a habit of keeping a book close to you throughout the day, you will be surprised at all the opportunities you can find to leaf through a few pages and start a new book-filled chapter of your life.
Danielle Wilkin is a senior biology and science education major. She can be reached at dwilkindbk@gmail.com.
