Illiterate, Stupid Americans--Not
Dean
Gallup has an interesting report on reading patterns in America. Among their conclusions:
About half of Americans are currently in the middle of reading a book. The median number of books read per year is around 5, and 83% of Americans report reading at least one book in the last year.
The frequency of reading books is up substantially from 1990, and reading books is massively more popular than it was back in the 1940s and 1950s.
Details of the survey and historical record here.
Yet another myth of the stupid, dumbed-down, illiterate American populace addicted to "the boob tube" and "moronic popular culture" blown to crap. (I can already hear the objection: "But the books were so much better back then!" Feh. Feh I say!)
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You know that crazy woman who's always walking down the street reading a book? Me.
Of Frederick the Great, he writes:
"....Whether he was a Protestant hero or not can be decided best by those who have read the correspondence of a writer calling himself Voltaire, who was quite shocked at Frederick's utter lack of religion of any kind...."
And who cares? If the books were better then, then we'll still read them now. I know I'll reread Lord of the Rings every couple of years. But the quality of books then and now is completely irrelevant to the question of the literacy of the public then and now. A literate public reads books from across the ages, not just books of the moment.
We got the LOTR movies... now when can we expect those Flash Gordon flicks?
Every generation that produces a diamond has more than a few bushels of broken coal to go along with it.
The coal is always with us, so I prefer to judge by the diamonds. And for my tastes, they don't get any bigger or shinier than Lord of the Rings. I've read a lot of good new books lately, but none that I expect to reread over two dozen times.
Reason why books are better:
The books places you within the story - something that movies are unable to capture.
Not to mention that movies are an interpretation - to reach the visual expectations of book characters is nearly impossible. When directors use known actors for movie interpretations - like LOTR and Star Wars - it changes the dynamics of the storyline. You're not watching Obi-Wan, you're watching Ewan McGregor pretending to be Obi-Wan.
I would love to see The Assassins Apprentice trilogy by Robin Hobb made into a movie, but only if it were done by completely unknown actors for the reasons I listed above.
Anyone have a book they'd like to see as a movie?
Oh man, Chesterton's WWI writings. Not recommended to the faint-hearted, but yes, "warblogging" avant-la-lettre, with a style and a measure of venom that haven't been equalled since. I suppose you know the volumes of "Illustrated London News" columns from 1914-16 and 1917-19? I don't think better propaganda has been written in the history of the world since the Gospels. And I mean by "propaganda" the word in its original sense, as anything meant to spread a point of view and a message.
Anyone have a book they'd like to see as a movie?
I would like to see C. S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra as Miyazaki anime. Not very likely, I know.
It's been awhile since I read CS Lewis - but The Screwtape Letters could have an interesting interpretation.
About Miyazaki - what an impressive storyteller!
Although I cannot visualize Miyazaki doing a Christian themed movie, I can appreciate the spirit of retelling a CS Lewis book in such an imaginative way.
If you haven't picked up any of Robin Hobb's books - you're missing out on a character driven story that, in my opinion, is better than any Dragonlance story-hands down (no offense meant towards lovers of that series)
During the summer, the kids will visit the library every other week during the summer and at least once a month during the school year. And this is in addition to their schoolwork, their piano lessons, their violin lessons, their oboe lessons, volleyball, basketball, track, cross-country, soccer, junior ROTC, wrestling, and drama extra-curricular activities - not to mention church twice a week, season passes to Six Flags over Texas, and going to 10 Texas Rangers baseball games. And yeah, my son plays way too much play-station, my kids watch too much TV, and have way too many friends demanding their time and attention.
Only lazy people have an excuse not to read. And Americans, by world standards, are not very lazy.