**The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools**
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Did you know that the American Psychological Association has reported that less than 20% of teens report reading for daily pleasure? While this is not surprising, considering we are currently in the digital age and almost every adult and teenager averages multiple hours of use on their phone every day, it is still a little sad to see. This is becoming especially evident in everyday life. More and more bookstores close every year as people read less and choose social media as their form of entertainment.
If you just look around at school, while you are traveling, or while you are in any social setting in general, you will rarely see people reading when they have free time. Half of the blame could be put on required reading in schools. I have been told by dozens of people that required reading is what killed their desire to read outside of school, usually due to their dislike of the topics or the testing that goes along with it. Despite that, I am a firm believer in the idea that reading is something that people can start to do again if they have the chance to find a book or series that they are interested in reading. When you think back on what you read as a child or what series you were invested in, what was it? I am assuming that it was likely Harry Potter, the Magic Tree House, Percy Jackson, or some series adjacent to the ones that I named. Personally, I know how loved these books are since I also read them as a child. What kept me interested in reading was how intriguing the storyline was, not because I was going to be tested on the material that following week. This is where I think the main issue lies: people need to be able to find books that interest them instead of solely reading what school requires them to.
Let me get to the real meat of this. Reading has been proven to have positive effects on people. Because of that, you must read if you want to improve your skills like critical thinking. If you are interested in learning about more benefits that reading can provide for you, I highly recommend reading articles online. If your dilemma is that you can't find a book or series that interests you, I would highly recommend checking out Goodreads, asking a friend for recommendations, seeing what books are being displayed at the front of bookstores, or even just finding a cover that catches your attention and reading the book's synopsis on the back cover. If what's stopping you from reading is getting your hands on the books that interest you, I’d recommend going to the public library or the library at school. If you'd like to purchase a book, Barnes & Noble and 2nd & Charles are great places to do so! With that being said, I would also like to add that there is a genre or series for everyone. I can almost guarantee you can find a book that fits your interests.
In conclusion, I truly believe that you should try to pick up a new book. While I know that classes and extracurriculars are stressful and time-consuming, even a chapter or two makes a huge difference.
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