Plain English with Derek Thompson

The End of Reading

426 snips
Feb 28, 2025
This engaging conversation features Rose Horowitch, an Atlantic staff writer, and Nat Malkus, a scholar focused on education policy. They delve into the alarming decline of reading in America, noting a drop in leisure reading by half this century and concerning literacy scores for younger students. The guests examine how societal shifts towards multimedia are impacting critical thinking and argue for the importance of deep reading in fostering analytical skills. They also discuss proactive measures educators are taking to reignite a passion for reading among students.
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ANECDOTE

Student struggles with full book

  • Nicholas Dames, a Columbia University professor, had a student who couldn't read a whole book.
  • The student said she was never assigned full books in high school, only excerpts.
ANECDOTE

Animal Farm excerpts

  • Derek Thompson recounts a similar experience with a friend's child.
  • The child only read excerpts of Animal Farm and watched related YouTube videos.
INSIGHT

Less reading overall

  • Fewer teens list reading as a favorite activity, and Americans spend less time reading.
  • There's strong evidence for less reading, though no study has specifically addressed the decline in reading whole books.
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