Show W lr i i I USA Society x I Reprinted courtesy of Fillers for Publications 1220 Maple Ave Los Angeles CA Social scientists have coined the term to describe a current and disturbing trend in America Al means a loss of reading skills as well as a loss of interest in reading by people can read but dont To help reverse this tr trend nd Congress officially designated 1987 as the Year of the Reader by passing a new law with the purpose of restoring reading to a place of preeminence in our personal lives and in the life of our nation Of course the problem does not begin or end with adults who can read but dont It involves younger and older Americans alike Studies have shown that the average child entering first grade has already watched more hours of television than he or she will spend in classrooms during the next twelve years More recently a 1984 survey done by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress CongressI revealed that in 1978 75 percent of Americans 21 and under read books That percentage had dropped to 63 percent by 1 1984 84 Naturally the schools are always the first to be blamed But they can only teach reading To learn the value of lifelong reading habits American society must teach by example Parents must read to their youngsters introduce them to libraries and help them obtain library cards On further reflection when was the thelast thelast thelast last time you saw someone reading while waiting in line or while waiting for train bus Paperback books fit easily into pocket or purse This is the age of awareness in the value of recycling When did you last give loan or recommend a book you found worthwhile to a friend Its It's tragic that cities the size of Los LosA A Angeles geles and New York have very few major newspapers In Tokyo for example there are many dailies in both English and Japanese as well as dozens of magazines And they're for sale at newsstands everywhere Perhaps that that literacy literacy is part of any country's success story Japanese so society for ore does not suffer from either illiteracy or And Japan is very successful Lets Let's reverse the latest trend toward Go ahead dare ahead dare tobe to be a reader k l r |