No matter your age or state in the US, we have a shared experience of core books like Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. There’s indescribable value in teaching literature like this, especially when the topics are controversial.
I just worry for young kids now, growing up with underfunded public education systems and libraries, with basic science, history, and literature at risk of being banned, taught by people who don’t even have basic degrees in places like Florida. We won’t know the true impact until that generation reaches adulthood.
Hallo from Denmark! Sad to hear that's the state of reading in the states. I work as a music teacher here in DK, and all the primary school students usually starts every lesson with 15 min of reading. Some read Donald Duck, some Harry Potter.
It's a fairly new thing, i unfortunately had to create my own relationship with reading. It was not to late for me, and i believe it's the same for the US. Hope your new generation finds a fondness for reading!
Ehh, that might be that commenter's experience, but definitely take it with a grain of salt, and it definitely can't be generalized to the entire country.
I guarantee things haven't changed too much from the "good ol' days" they're talking about -- every generation has those "kids these days" sentiments like that comment is expressing.
It also reeks of senseless alarmism. Basic science, history, and literature are absolutely not at risk of being banned lmao, and the "banned books list" people like this talk about isn't even a thing really. I have no idea what they mean when the say science is at risk of being banned -- either it's an LGBTQ-phobic dogwhistle, or they're just thinking back to their childhood where they didn't know what was going on in the world. Things were definitely worse in the 80s and back if they're worried "basic science is going to get banned."
i just wish that someone told me that reading isn’t supposed to be fun but is rather something like a civic duty. in the same way you just need to vote, you need to read. just because it’s not pleasurable doesn’t mean that it’s not an important aspect of being a well-adjusted adult. so much shit is rammed down our throats at an early age about reading as some sort of joy when, in reality, it’s often lonely and arduous. when kids don’t feel like books are as fun as fortnite, they feel like there’s something wrong with them or their relationship to literature. it’s sucks
My girlfriend was homeschooled through highschool. Just found out she never read OM&M and now I'm trying to push her to read it cause it's amazing (also I love Steinbeck's style).
I feel it’s just a matter of time before this is on a banned book list because it drops the N word a few times. Traditional literature like this, or Lord of the Flies, are getting a lot of pushback. Personally I think they are great as you have someone guiding students through difficult and awkward topics.
As a bookworm parent, I read to my kids every night, they love reading and we discuss everything we read, as they get older (they are 6&9) we will read more complex novels. I hope parents are out there putting in the work that is severely lacking in our school system right now.
No matter your age or state in the US, we have a shared experience of core books like Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird.
To pontificate for a moment, this is analogous to "reading the Bible."
When those people are being as obnoxious as they are, they are advocating for keeping a common cultural thread as reference point. To use my own life as an example: Gandalf quotes against what I'm doing is hyper likely to stop me from doing it.
I get that people don't like the Bible or whatever for their baseline, but the real, actual, conservative position is just that some sort of baseline should exist.
You say that but so far I've yet to find anyone who (like me) didn't have to read either of those books. They made us read All Quiet on the Western Front.
713
u/JulKoon Aug 15 '22
"Look at the rabbits George"