Education Lifestyle & Culture

Loving and reading books, as literacy declines

By Marvely Gonzalez

Sitting on a bench in Washington Square Park, with his partner beside him, Thomas Hummel was reading “The Communist Manifesto.” 

That book by Frederick Engles, Hummel said, gives the reader “a world of knowledge beyond your immediate experience.” 

It lets Hummel, who works in IT at the Queens Public Library. “ learn the lessons other people have learned.”

Hummel has been reading for as long as he can remember. Enjoying this pastime in a quiet, calm environment helps him fall deeper into the story.

Working at the library has given him firsthand experience with how New Yorkers relate to reading. “Most people who come into the library nowadays are doing it to have computer access,” he said. Fewer people want to read and that may be contributing to broader social issues.”

Declining interest in and actual reading is reflected in several ways. There was a four point decline in 13-year-olds reading scores between the 2019-20 school year and the 2022-23 school. Compared to a decade ago, there was a nine point decline, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Also, during the same period, fourth-graders’ average reading score fourth decreased by three points, according to the federal Nation’s Report Card. 

 But reading is critical, avid readers say. 

“There’s a book called ‘Zombie Capitalism’ by Chris Harman that explains the long economic crisis we’re in quite well,” Hummel said. 

While people like Hummel believe some societal problems might be better understood and handled if people read more, especially certain kinds of books.

“There are books like that, lots of books like that—it just depends on how well-known they are,” said Emiko Kawahara, 17, a  high school student from California, who was visiting from New York. 

For Kawahara, reading has had a personal impact: “It changes my perspective, and, then, that perspective changes the actions I make,” she said.

She prefers books that are grounded in current events or other meaningful content.

Readers often form a bond with books. “I feel that the important thing about reading is the emotion you feel when you pick up a book,” said Patrick Wong, an architecture student from Taiwan, who was visiting New York. “It’s a journey readers take alongside the character and, even, the author.”

Wong believes reading is not just about absorbing information, but about soaking up the entire experience.

“Scrolling through the pages, the sound of pages moving back and forth, even the actual smell of the book,” he said, “that’s the most fulfilling and memorable part of reading.