Reading for pleasure builds empathy in children, but fewer kids are picking up books just for the fun of it

Reading allows children to live in a vibrant world, surrounded by fairies, elves and talking animals, transporting them to ...

The End of Reading Is Here

Optimists once believed that universal literacy was inevitable. Now it seems that the age of reading might be a short anomaly ...

Contributor: The global reading crisis that started with smartphones

Kids who read for pleasure experience 'vastly improved mental health,' according to a new report.

Want to be a better reader? Here’s how to practise active reading

Most people absorb social media content without questioning it. Switching to active reading is one of the most practical ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Reading for Pleasure Has Declined by a ‘Deeply Concerning’ 40 Percent Over the Past Two Decades

When was the last time you curled up with a good book or flipped through the pages of a magazine? If it’s been a while, you’re not alone: The number of Americans who read for fun has plummeted over ...
The New Yorker

What’s Happening to Reading?

You’re reading Open Questions, Joshua Rothman’s weekly column exploring what it means to be human. What do you read, and why? A few decades ago, these weren’t urgent questions. Reading was an ...
Smithsonian Magazine

To Combat Summer Reading Slumps, This Timeless Children’s Television Show Tried to Bridge the Literacy Gap With the Magic of Stories

At left, Tony Buttino prepares Western New York book reviewers (from left to right: Stephanie, Percy and Afrika) with production assistant Pam Johnson at right. Courtesy of WNED PBS, Buffalo, NY For ...
The New Yorker

The Curious Notoriety of “Performative Reading”

The Lede Reporting and commentary on what you need to know today. This way of perceiving social reality—and particularly a person’s reading life—may seem inane, even deranged. But performative reading ...