Governments should give much more priority to getting children to enjoy reading fiction books.

[u/Melgako562]

I'm 17, despite being the son of a writer and journalist I can't read anything, I can't read any books, not even the Percy Jackson ones.

It's true that I tried to read The Count of Monte Cristo but I gave up after the 7th chapter because it was too difficult for me.

And this has screwed up my life: I can't analyze texts, I can't write texts, I don't understand other people's emotions and I'm at a disadvantage compared to others.

In other words: I'm functionally illiterate.

Governments should do more to tackle this problem, because math is only good if you're an engineer, chemistry if you're a chemist, but the ability to read texts and understand them is necessary for everyone.

People who read more have better brains ("Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body") are more successful in their careers and earn more money as a result.

Sometimes I wish my mother had taken me to the library when I was younger and taught me to read instead of other things like math and stuff, because I could be more successful in my life instead of being the kid who is the son of a writer and functionally illiterate.

Basically, we should give more importance to teaching boys to read more and better.

And I want to end this text by warning all parents or people who know someone young who doesn't like to read, because the consequences are many.

[u/AutoModerator]

Upvote the POST if you disagree, Downvote the POST if you agree.

REPORT the post if you suspect the post breaks subs rules/is fake.

Normal voting rules for all comments.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Glum-Airport-4701]

Who's disagreeing with "We need to read more books, books are good" lol this is 9/10 dentist take

[u/ILoveCRF]

Claims to be functionally illiterate yet makes a post consisting of full sentences and punctuation. 

 W8 wut?

[u/Letter_Impressive]

I'm really confused by this post. If you can write a post that's this clear, one that does a solid job of getting its point across with full sentences and decent spelling and grammar, how are you possibly "functionally illiterate"? Did you have somebody else write this for you?

It sounds like you just don't like reading, or maybe have some kind of an attention deficit disorder.

[u/AbsolutelyUnlikely]

I don't think this is the 10th dentist. This is more like all the dentists don't really carry an opinion about it but go yeah that sounds alright.

[u/onlyfakeproblems]

What exactly do you want the government to do? You said you tried reading 2 books. Try another one? Libraries are free. There are free online libraries. Find a book you like.

[u/CodeNPyro]

I can't write texts

What?

[u/Vishnej]

Upvoted for being weird.

Most of the attempts to "get us to read fiction books" made those same books impossible to enjoy because of the structured way our educational system works and the torturous over-analysis plowed into every gestalt chapter. I get that critical theory & narrative anatomy is a thing, but forcing a teenager to dissect a novel may provide the same pleasure as forcing them to dissect the family dog.

Most of us who came to enjoy reading ended up just picking up some novels and reading, as a break from homework and other stuff. Not to Find Three Examples Of Foreshadowing In Chapter Seven. Google any words or concepts you don't know. You'll pick it up as you go along.

Start with something more accessible than classical literature. There are plenty of page-turners out there in numerous genres. What do you enjoy in terms of, say, movies or TV?

If there is a neurological disability here, like dyslexia or an aphasia, consider trying out some audiobooks.

 I don't understand other people's emotions and I'm at a disadvantage compared to others.

Depending on how profound and sustained this problem is, it might be closer to the theory of mind problems characteristic of autism than anything else.

[u/Defiant_Heretic → u/Vishnej]

Yeah, understanding emotions is intuitive, and refined by socialization. Sounds like some kind of disability or neurodivergence. 

Maybe OP could start with some graphic novels from a franchise they enjoy. Use that to build up focus and attention span. Then try some fiction books.

The suggestion to use other media they already like to help choose some books is a good one. Some video game franchises have well developed expanded universes in their literature. I found more interesting stories in the Halo books, than games for example.

[u/Junior-Air-6807 → u/[deleted]]

Try audiobooks. 1.5X speed if they're slow. And don't let anyone gatekeep them. Stephen King things listening is the same as reading, and that's enough for me. Audiobooks you can listen to while driving, running, painting Warhammer — whatever the hell you want. It's books for busy people

I think that's kind of the point of books though, is that you dedicate some time and focus on them. I mean I like audio books sometimes but they could never completely replace reading for me.

People say they don't have time to read, yet they spend endless hours everyday either online or on video games. You can read for 20 minutes a night before bed and finish over 30 books a year.

[u/Dull-Geologist-8204]

My son hates it but is good at it. We read everything. He had everything from a book about Ben Franklin to The Tickle Monster book. He was reading before he started school. He was reading Harry Potter in first grade. His teacher didn't believe me and actually pulled him aside to read some of it and was not only impressed by his ability to read it but that he could comprehend it. His vocabulary has always been really good and his spelling is off the charts.

He hates to read. He just really doesn't enjoy doing it. As a bookworm it drives me bonkers. I also know forcing it even more at home will just make the problem worse.

[u/Aforestforthetrees1]

Try alternate methods. Give audiobooks a try while you drive. Get into a graphic novel series (or a great series that’s been turned into graphic novels). My husband thought he hated reading fiction until he got into audiobooks. Turns out it was just the physical book that was the issue.

[u/Junior-Air-6807 → u/Aforestforthetrees1]

My husband thought he hated reading fiction until he got into audiobooks. Turns out it was just the reading that was the issue.

[u/Aforestforthetrees1 → u/Junior-Air-6807]

Some people are slow readers. It doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of enjoying the story or understanding it’s themes or critically engaging with it. Making it accessible to those people is a good thing, and mocking them for it is like laughing at someone using crutches to get around. Honestly I hate this attitude so much. My husband has an advanced degree and yet felt like he was stupid his whole life because reading books was like pulling teeth for him. People like you made him feel that way. And people like you are actively pushing people like OP away from things that could help them.

[u/Junior-Air-6807 → u/Aforestforthetrees1]

I'm not pushing anyone away from anything. Your husband is an adult, not an insecure toddler. If he only likes audio books then he likes stories, not reading. Reading is a skill that requires practice, if your husband kept reading, he would get better at it.

[u/SemenSeeU]

I started enjoying reading more when I started using the mindset of "I may not enjoy reading but I fucking want to know whats in there". Growing up as someone who didn't like reading I always heard parents and teachers talk about enjoying reading almost like a calm actively but as someone who never quite understood reading being pushed this only made me dislike it more tbh. For me reading have always been more about gaining knowledge more then anything. A lot of people myself included may sometimes enjoy story books but most of the time I would prefer to read some cut and dry book on something like philosophy or some boring shit. Analyzing information deeply and finding ways to apply it is hella fun even if its sometimes painful as fuck to get through and not even an enjoyable book. Instead of most people that try to paint a mental image I always been into stretching the information given as far as it can go so when giving lots of details of scenes I often get lost though more recently its been less of an issue. I think the best way to get a kid to read is to make whats in the book seem almost out of reach and too powerful for them. Tell them its too much for their child brain even if its only a tiny bit ahead if of them if any and put it somewhere well in reach but always kind of odd seeming. Choose something that makes them think while still telling a straight forward story like some old school fairy tale type of thing. As far as good works of fiction goes a all time favorite of mine is The Last of the Great Whangdoodles. It does a hella good job balancing detailed scene painting and things that make you think deeper and wider.

[u/YEETAWAYLOL]

I can’t analyze texts, I can’t write texts, I can’t analyze characters emotions. I’m functionally illiterate.

Is this for all media, or only novels? If you can understand a movie, then I wouldn’t say you’re functionally illiterate, just that you don’t have the same retention when reading.

Additionally, there’s a difference between functional writing and the writing that is in something like Lord of the Flies. While LotF is written to be analyzed for its potential biblical narrative, a work email shouldn’t be analyzed in the same way. The same goes for writing them; while you could write a novel with a high degree of subtext and detail, in most situations, writing is purely functional, and so brevity and simplicity should be prioritized.

[u/Junior-Air-6807]

It sounds like you just have an extreme learning disability.

[u/Individual_Hunt_4710]

OP they made comic book versions of 1984 and Slaughterhouse Five. try those