Take a Look, Read a Book
- May 8
- 4 min read
By Tiffany Matos
What happened to the joy of reading? The power of printed words can enrich our imaginations and mentalities in a special way. If you didn’t know, reading can help in multiple ways such as mental endurance, reducing stress levels, enhancing empathy, strengthening brain connectivity, and improving cognitive function. It is recommended by the National Library of Medicine to read for 20-30 minutes a day in order for cognitive benefits to take effect, although there is no single universal "correct" duration of reading time, experts emphasize the importance of consistency, encouraging individuals to aim for regular daily engagement rather than infrequent long sessions. Still, America’s literacy rate amongst teens and young adults continues to be rapidly declining while social media and instant gratification continue to rise. How can we bring back the joy of reading? What might be driving the decline and what are the possible strategies for reversing it?
According to Samantha Laine Perfas in The Harvard Gazette, “In September, average reading scores for high school seniors — released by the Nation’s Report Card — fell to their lowest level since 1992. It was the first time that 12th graders had taken the test since the COVID pandemic, and the results showed a widening gap between the highest- and lowest-achieving students.” Marty West, an academic dean and a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education explains, “The pandemic certainly didn’t help, but in particular when you’re looking at reading skills, it’s actually hard to make a case that the pandemic is the most important factor. Reading scores for American students peaked in 2015 in Grade 4, and in 2013 actually in Grade 8. In Grade 8, the scores have been falling steadily since 2017.”
In her article for The GW Hatchet, Andrea Mendoza-Melchor writes, “Fewer and fewer American adults are reading at a proficient level, and it is doing irreparable harm to citizens.” . While many college students possess "intermediate" skills, substantial numbers struggle with complex texts and tasks, reflecting a decline in overall U.S. literacy and widening proficiency gaps accelerated by pandemic disruptions. Mendoza-Melchor continues, “In recent years, by the widespread adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, educators report that student’s stamina for reading long-form texts has diminished, leading many to replace traditional books with shorter excerpts, summaries or in-class reading. Researchers warn that relying on AI for summaries leads to "cognitive offloading," where students lose the ability to analyze, interpret, or retain information.”
Trevar Riley-Reid, one of CCNY’s librarians, expresses her opinions on the matter. “Do not think anyone on campus is illiterate, it is that not every reader can easily comprehend nor understand the academic writings assigned. People are not reading books as much as they used to or should.” When asked about their thoughts on why our college students don’t read enough, what does she notice in our library? Riley- Reid made a simple observation. “Easy distractions like their phones, perhaps they are not as interested to read the books assigned to them.”
While interviewing Riley-Reid, I asked them “What are you reading?” Trevar shared that she is currently reading God of the Woods by Liz Moore and is loving it so far. God of the Woods is a slow-burning suspenseful mystery that develops into a compelling character-driven narrative with plot-twists and turns as it unravels the dual mysteries you'd expect from the genre.
I also met with fellow CCNY student Amanda C, a sophomore, and asked her what she is currently reading. “I’ve always really liked fiction books. Currently I’m reading What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown. It’s a coming-of-age story about a sheltered teen girl who goes on a journey to find the truth about her father and her true origins. So far, she has reasons to believe her dad is hiding a huge secret.” When I asked Amanda how she stays in the zone when reading the book, she said, “The book has to be to my liking, I think that’s an important step towards a better reading habit.”
Perhaps the solution to combat the declining literacy rate is as easy as finding a good book to read that interests you. Sometimes having too many book options in our library can be overwhelming to some, so here are a few book recommendations from a few of our peers at City College to get started. Also, our very own library will provide more leisure reading material in the form of manga novels in the next couple of weeks. Ask any of the librarians for more info.
Book Recommendations:
God of the Woods by Liz Moore
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
Reading can be a great way to enrich our imaginations while decreasing screen time from our phones and iPads. Reading expands your mental library of ideas. Every story, concept or perspective you encounter adds new “raw material” that your imagination can draw from. Reading a new genre may make you realize something about yourself. For example, many books, especially fiction, explore “what if” scenarios. That naturally trains your brain to ask imaginative questions and consider possibilities you might not have thought of otherwise.
Tiff is a writer at The Paper. She is currently in her junior year at CCNY studying English with a concentration in creative writing. She has been with The Paper for a few months and she has many ideas for future articles. Her favorite color is ruby red. In her free, time Tiff enjoys creating cosmetics-related content on her Instagram and she takes any opportunity to read in any quiet park.
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