Hello,
I was once a reader. The kind of elementary school kid who would curl up with a book for hours, lost in Anne of Green Gables’ adventures or the higgly-piggly world of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Reading was something I did for fun, for escape, for the sheer pleasure of it. And then school got involved.
Middle school introduced me to The Call of the Wild, and just like that, my love for reading began to fade. I didn’t care about sled dogs or survival in the wilderness, but it didn’t matter—this was the assigned book, and I had no choice but to read it. It was no longer about getting lost in a world of my choosing but about proving I read what was assigned by completing worksheets and taking tests on the text.
High school continued to extinguish the spark. Shakespeare’s plays, which were meant to be performed within two hours or so with emotion and energy, were instead dragged out over months by confused teenagers stumbling through archaic language. Reading became an obligation, a task to complete rather than an experience to savor. I was still a good student—always compliant, always checking the boxes—but I was no longer an engaged reader.
As I moved into my undergraduate and graduate years, reading continued to feel more like an obligation than an escape. The dense textbooks, academic journals, and endless assignments left little room for the pleasure of reading. I was more focused on checking off requirements than on connecting with the material–and certainly had no store of reading energy left to spend on reading for pleasure.
And I am not unique.
The Decline of Reading for Pleasure
Today’s engaged readers are on the decline. Sunil Iyengar (2024) reports that the percentage of nine-year-olds who read for fun almost every day has steadily declined from 53% in 2012 to just 39% in 2022. Even more concerning, the share of nine-year-olds who “never or hardly ever” read for fun is at its highest: 16%. Ella Creamer (2024) reported for The Guardian that only 34.6% of students aged 8 to 18 say they enjoy reading in their spare time—the lowest percentage recorded in nearly two decades.
The trend of leisure reading in the United States declined significantly over the past several decades. According to the NEA's 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts,
The percentage of adults who read at least one book in the past year fell from 54.6% a decade ago to 48.5%. This decline is further echoed in younger populations; only 14% of 13-year-olds reported reading for fun almost every day in 2023, a drop from 27% in 2012.
Moreover, the average number of books read by Americans decreased from 15.6 in 2016 to 12.6 in 2021. Notably, fiction reading has hit a low, with only 37.6% of adults reporting having read a novel in 2022. This downward trajectory is alarming, particularly considering the long-term benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and emotional well-being.
When Things Get Hard
I am happy to report that I am a voracious reader again. Now that I have rediscovered my love of reading, I understand that when I read books I like, I immediately want to read the next book. Good books, for me, fuel a fire of reading excitement. The opposite is also true. Bad books, for me, douse my reading flame, making picking up the next book less enticing. Much of what I was required to read in school did not fall into the category of “good books” for me, and with everything else that was on my plate including other coursework, chores, work, etc., from middle school through post-grad school, reading for pleasure was not on my radar.
Being a reluctant reader is not the same as being a struggling reader. I was reluctant, i.e., disengaged; though I could read, I didn’t want to. My youngest son, Oliver, was a struggling reader in kindergarten; though he liked the idea of being able to read, he had trouble learning how to read. As he struggled to read, I would say, “When things get hard, we try harder.” But, I realized as an adult, I didn’t really need to try very hard. Adults have the privilege of eliminating many hard things from their lives. So, not wanting to be a hypocrite, I decided, since running was something I ardently avoided because it was hard, I would start running using the app Couch to 5K. I was no longer a reluctant runner, but I was still a struggling runner. While running, I kept thinking about how hard it was and how much I hated it. Listening to music didn’t help because my inner monologue of, “How much longer?!” and “This sucks,” while running drowned out the music. Instead of music, I started listening to audiobooks that required me to focus on the narrator and the story. Ironically, my choice to add audiobooks to my runs not only made running easier, it made reading as a busy, working mom easier too.
What I later learned about myself—and about my son—is that when tasks (like reading) become about meeting external expectations, when it’s about compliance, worksheets, and assessments, the spark is lost. The joy of the task is squashed under the weight of obligation. The task no longer feels like an act of discovery, but rather a checklist.
Finding the Opportunities
This is not a discussion about the so-called reading wars, nor am I suggesting one way of teaching reading is better or worse than another. It’s about something much deeper: Why do children who are eager readers become reluctant readers? Why do people who can read, stop reading? And most importantly, how can we help people find joy in reading?
The truth is, in order to read, you must learn to decode and encode words, develop an understanding of phonemic awareness and phonics, etc. The truth is also that in order to want to continue to want to read, you have to nurture curiosity, spark imagination, and allow readers to follow their own interests. Unfortunately, as my time as a teacher has taught me, as much as we’d like to, it’s not always possible to let students choose every text they read—there are moments when specific texts serve a purpose, whether for academic growth or a broader cultural understanding. But even within the confines of required reading, we can help students connect with the material in meaningful ways.
When students are asked to read an assigned book, it’s essential to create opportunities that allow them to see beyond the text itself, and find personal connections. For example, when studying The Call of the Wild, we can discuss themes such as resilience, survival, or the relationship between humans and nature. Helping students see how these ideas might apply to their own lives or the world around them can reignite their interest and make the experience of reading richer and more engaging.
Starting Over
For adults who are reluctant readers, it’s often about reclaiming that sense of choice and enjoyment. Maybe it’s been a while since they picked up a book for fun, but it’s never too late to start again. The key is to make reading a low-pressure activity—something to enjoy, not something to check off. Start small, with short articles or chapters, and build from there. If a traditional book feels daunting, try an audiobook or an e-book, formats that might feel less intimidating and more flexible. And don't forget that it’s okay to abandon a book that’s not resonating—it’s more important to enjoy the journey than to force yourself through a text that doesn’t click.
Reading–whether for children or adults–doesn’t have to be solitary, either. Join a book club, share recommendations with friends, or read aloud with your family. Reading in community reminds us that it’s not just about the words on the page, it’s about the connections we make with the text and with others. When we embrace these more informal, social aspects of reading, it can help rekindle the spark that’s been dimmed over time.
It took years for me to find my way back to reading for pleasure, and audiobooks played a huge role in that journey. The ability to listen to books while driving, cooking, or running turned reading into something enjoyable again—something I could fit into my life in a way that felt natural. Ultimately, for young and old readers alike, we need to create environments—whether in schools, libraries, or at home—where books are not a requirement, but a treasure. Where reading is about discovery, not compliance. Where the act of turning a page feels like an invitation to explore, not a task to endure.
Only then will we see our children and adults alike picking up books again—not because they have to, but because they want to.
~Heather
P.S. My Catch of the Week is apps that allow readers to convert written text to an audio file. Examples of these apps include Speechify and Listen AI. If you have the text in a file already, you can upload it; if not, you just scan the text with your phone's camera. It's that easy! I've been shocked at how natural the audio sounds when played. For people who love an audio file, like me, this is a game-changer! Just as importantly, these apps are really easy to use and relatively inexpensive to purchase.
P.P.S. Please remember to...
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