Hardihood Books Newsletter 41
October, 2024
Happy Halloween.
Welcome to the October edition of the Hardihood Books Newsletter. Thank you for supporting my work.
Housekeeping:
No news.
Next Month and Beyond:
Next month is Thanksgiving here in the United States, and we will have at least a couple of thematic stories or essays.
The Kids These Days Don’t Read:
I'm writing this month's newsletter (again) about the ever-popular topic of "the kids these days don't read books." There was an article in the Atlantic earlier this month which has been making the rounds. It's generated a conversation around the question of whether social media and the pandemic have combined to diminish young people's interest in reading actual, physical, no-kidding, honest-to-God books cover to cover. Or is this yet another moral panic created by old scolds who always think the latest generation is soft and uneducated?
While I am not pessimistic yet, there is evidence to suggest this is a real phenomenon. The professor who wrote the article explained that his students arrive at college surprised by the idea that they would have to read entire books during a semester. Apparently, many have never been asked to read a whole book in high school, only excerpts. And these are some of the best students in the country. Our public schools are doing an even greater disservice to students who struggle in school, as seen the recent lawsuit by one graduate of Hartford public schools who can’t read any words longer than one syllable.