Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Okay, admit it. You’ve accused the younger generation of practically having their thumbs permanently affixed to gamepads, right? Or if not gaming, you expect them to be found texting or talking on their iPhones. Thumb dexterity is at an all time high and we wonder what this is going to mean for the future of books.
I think it was about ten years ago that I talked to several Gen-Xers and some Gen Ys about books. I was surprised by the number who confessed that they had never read “a whole book” for pleasure. I found it frightening. Over the years we’ve heard predictions that book consumption would drop sharply once the Boomers quit buying books.
I have good news. All those who predicted that the Millennial generation would eventually abandon books altogether are eating crow these days.
This from a recent Bowker press release: “Generation Y, those born between 1979 and 1989, spent the most money on books in 2011, taking over long-held book-buying leadership from Baby Boomers. GenY’s 2011 book expenditures rose to 30 percent — up from 24 percent in 2010 – passing Boomers, 25 percent share. And with 43 percent of GenY’s purchases going to online channels, they are adding momentum to the industry shift to digital.”
My eldest daughter, Rebecca, a 30-something college instructor, is a case in point. She devours books. Since getting her Kindle Fire in January she reports that she has read some 130 books. And lest you think these are college texts or lofty classics, she confesses she loves commercial fiction, both contemporary and historical. Stephanie Plum is her girl.
Two weeks ago I received a letter from a member of the Y Generation I will treasure for a long time to come:
My name is ——– and I am currently a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. In the fall of my eighth grade, my mother read your book, The Tinker’s Daughter, aloud to me and my sister, ——-. The three of us absolutely loved it and have been talking about it ever since. In fact, although I rarely get the chance to see my sister anymore since she is an undergrad at Wheaton, I can’t remember a vacation in the past couple of years when one of us hasn’t looked at the other and whispered: “And she crushed a sprig of rosemary in her pocket.” It is funny how sometimes the smallest things mean the most to us.
You can understand why this touched me. For a reader to remember a line from the book ten years later. . . well, I’m humbled. Knowing that this Midshipman connected with books in that way makes me ever more hopeful for a new generation of voracious readers. And the fact that the study by Bowker Market Research and Publisher’s Weekly confirms it is just icing on the cake.
Keep writing. It’s looks like the audience is growing. Yippee!
What are you observing with the Gen X and Gen Y people you know? Are you seeing the same thing?
I recall hearing that in Grandpa’s day people predicted the demise of movies when TV came along. Didn’t happen. I think there will always be an audience for a story well told, whatever the format.
Thanks for sharing the Midshipman’s letter. That’s wonderful.
It looks like you are right. If ever there were a time when we could expect reading to be affected it would be this digital generation but the fact that they are reading is great news.
Aw, that is so sweet!
One thing I’ve noticed is the mindset of “I can, and I will”.
Outrageous or impossible dreams don’t seem daunting at all. I have a friend who has already done mission work in Nepal, Bolivia(3 times), Slovakia and Israel. She told people that she wanted to get outside her comfort zone. She challenges the shape and size of the box all the time!
And she just started her senior year in high school.
I agree. I see these generations making big commitments and trying to make a deep impact.
I’m genX (ish Y)– born in 1978– and books have been my refuge ever since I was a little girl. I would choose a book over TV any day. And since Kindle came out, well, it’s made getting a new book much faster and easier. So,yes, this is exactly who I am.
It’s good to have a flesh and blood testimonial to go with the stats.
My daughter is genX and she would rather read than watch TV, devours books, is always “borrowing” what she finds on my shelves. I agree, I think the love of books is not going to disappear with the coming generations despite the overload of social media
My daughter often borrows books as well. Don’t you love it when we share the same reading tastes as our offspring? Makes for great discussions.
I work in a children’s ministry with lots of teens. The funny thing is, the BOYS tend to be the readers. When I spend time with teenage girls they talk about each other. When I spend time with teenage boys they talk about school, sports and books! Of course, we usually aren’t reading the same stuff, but I love to hear their thoughts. I even have one 17-year-old young man who regularly asks me about my own writing and is interested in the publishing world. I have a short story he wrote when he was 12 called “Where’s Windy?” It’s one of my treasures.
So yes, there is much hope for the future of books!
Boys! That’s one I hadn’t heard yet. If that were to be a trend that continues it could be a game changer.
Gen X heavy reader here. But I’ll admit I didn’t get into reading classics until college. I realized that if you make the effort to get into some of those books, the characters will stick with you for life. Characters like Becky Sharp, Bathsheba Everdene, Tess, and let’s not forget Scarlett (not Johannson).
But I do find that kids (Gen Y?) are so plugged in these days, you have to deliberately UNPLUG them (TV, video games) and expect them to read. I think, as they grow, they’ll find those books that resonate with them and keep it up. I THINK!
I know. All it takes is one fabulous book experience and that hunger is awakened. I love book people because they live in so many interesting worlds.
As the mom of a Gen Y and two Gen Zs, I can say electonic devices have made a huge difference in the amount they read. I used to have to shove books down my son’s throat. Now he’s 25 and loves reading on his DROID phone. I can’t read on a screen that small, but he loves it. He reads more now than he ever did. My girls still prefer printed books, but they will read on their iPods and love my Kindle. They take my old Kindle to school with them. They have their own collection with 30 or so books for silent reading time.
The one thing I find disheartening about electronics is the impact on school libraries. Our middle school library is probably 1/3 empty, and ebooks were given as the cause.
Thanks for sharing the news, Wendy. Those YA authors better keep writing. 🙂
I wish I could get used to reading on my iPhone.
My biggest wish is to replace all my electronics with one perfect device. I want an iPad the size and weight of a kindle (my iPad is too big and too heavy to use as an eReader) with a phone plug-in. Then I could consolidate, getting rid of separate iPhone and Kindle. One data plan! Apple, are you listening?
I love this news 🙂 I am Gen y & have always loved to read. It seems like my friends don’t read as much as I do but I love hearing the majority out there does!
Tell your friends they are out of sync with their generation. 🙂
Yay for Gen Y (I didn’t know that’s the generation I was part of, LOL)! 1984-er here…and a huge reader, ever since I was a kid. I have LOTS of friends who love to read. Not sure if it’s because it was one of the main entertainments when I was young, or because my parents loved books, or if I would have loved them anyway…but the bottom line is, I do. I always have a book I’m reading. Sometimes I read them more quickly than others, but my husband teases me when I read a book in a day. It happens. A lot.
Lindsay, you’re a such a cute little young’un! Wow, I feel old!
Thanks, Heather. You’re only as old as you feel, right? And you seem young and spunky to me!
I didn’t know we were Gen Y either, Lindsay! (1986) I have been a huge reader since I was a kid too, loving the Sweet Valley twins, Babysitters Club, Nancy Drew and Animorphs. That’s why I’ve wanted to be a writer since I could write. 🙂
I loved ALL of those series, Morgan! I was completely obsessed with Babysitters Club.
Animorphs. Hehe. I so wanted to play Rachel in the TV show.
I think you are typical of that new, voracious reader, Lindsay. I wish I could read manuscripts that quickly.
My daughter, who is in her 30s, reads lots of books on her I-pad and my grandson LOVES graphic novels.
I think graphic novels may be what is enticing boys to the book.
Yup–we keep the library stocked with graphic novels and, again, it’s BOYS reading them!
Wendy, that letter gave me a shiver of joy. Such a beautiful tribute. I’m not sure about gen X, but my kids (13 and 10) and many of their friends are voracious readers. I believe there will always be an audience for a good story.
I’d heard so much negative that I guess I’d begun to worry. I love hearing these stories of kids reading.
Wendy, Our summer reading stats (number of children and teens reading books) were some of our highest ever. Yeah!
Great news Wendy…and what a touching letter.
I agree with Rick. Storytelling is part of our human DNA… no matter the format.
Have a Tea-riffic Tuesday!
Kate, you are right. It’s about storytelling whether it’s a book, a graphic novel or even television or the big screen. We love story.
Love that letter, Wendy. Thanks for sharing it with us. The written word is SOOO powerful, especially when we read it aloud to our children – we pass on the ability to create new worlds into fertile minds.
I love that people are reading more. I suppose as the worlds gets more angsty around us, we find solace in our fiction, comfort in reading about people who’ve gone before us, and hope with new and improved ways to help us get through things….
This IS good news.
Blessings,
Becky
I know. I hope that the act of reading, even if it starts with a genre that concerns me, like shades of erotica, will become ingrained and people will move into all different genres.
Very cool fan letter. I love it.
And also very glad to hear that younger generations are still reading.
You can tell why I loved that letter. From a guy who loves his sister (He went on to ask if he could buy an autographed book for his sister’s birthday) who remembers his mom reading to them, and who is not ashamed to admit it. *sigh*
This is very encouraging, Wendy. Thank you. Since I teach Developmental Writing (the old term would be “remedial”), I encounter a population that is not turned on to reading. I, of course, do what I can to get them excited about it, but I have days like today. I asked a class of nearly thirty students to tell me about their favorite books. Only three students had a favorite. Most of the students don’t read unless they have to. Their favorite entertainments (based on what they told me) are to watch music videos on YouTube or play games on X-Box. This is what I have found semester after semester with the students I teach. Your blog today gives me hope that reading for pleasure is not becoming a thing of the past.
Have you found any great high/low books? (High interest content, low reading level.) I’ve seen them spark interest in kids so it doesn’t feel like a “baby” book. I just don’t know if many publishers are doing these now.
Actually my successes have come from books that aren’t that easy content-wise and none were new books. I did a unit on legends and urban legends and then did a “children’s version” of THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HALLOW. Once the students got the main characters and plot down, I then assigned the real text with its old-fashioned language and wonderful metaphors and symbolism. We discussed it page by page. None of the students was upset about having to read the story twice. They enjoyed the expansion of the story even though they struggled at first with reading the original text and once we finished it, they were better able to read more difficult texts on the own and begin to analyze them. One student in particular caught fire from this experience. She told me one day that she used to avoid reading even letters. She would hand them to her mom to read. One day she told me that she had begun reading letters and that they now made so much more sense to her. Then she began read to learn about things we talked about in class and suddenly she began to devour learning and wanted me to give her topics to read about so she could learn more. She would get together with me at breaks or during my office hours and we would discuss the things she was learning. She was so excited that she began sharing what she was learning with people she knew–her family, her boss, friends. It gave me great joy watching her blossom.
THE LILIES OF THE FIELD is another great book because it has wonderful characters, it’s short and it is deceptively simple. It seems easy to understand, but there is so much to mine in the story, and so the students get the feeling of success in understanding the story, but also the excitement of uncovering layers and solving clues from foreshadowing.
Well, I don’t want to go on and on, so I’ll stop at those two examples except to mention Harry Potter. I haven’t taught any of the books, but J.K Rowling did help get young people to want to read and for that I respect and thank her.
What an inspiring teacher you are, Christine. I love hearing about unlocking those doors for students. I know it is rare but that student’s life will be forever changed.
What a lovely letter! I think it’s because of authors like you, and a little series based on a character named Harry Potter, that many Gen Yers are reading. They started with Harry and branched out to other literature.
I think ereaders fuel their desire to read. After all, they get all the fun of playing with something electronic PLUS the aprobation of approving parents because they’re reading.
I’m with you. I think eReaders are going to have all the nostalgia that we feel toward our traditional favorites.
It’s interesting to note that teens aren’t embracing ebooks as much as Gen X, Gen Y, younger children, and even Baby Boomers.
Here’s a study with some of the reasons why:
http://tinyurl.com/6vtxlob
Fascinating! They need to discover the social aspect of reading en masse– clubs, etc. Thanks, Judy!
Thanks for that link, Judy!
Wendy,
My daughter and two daughters-in-law are all Gen Y and avid readers.
My daughter just got a Nook Color Tablet for this college semester and has been adding books daily. She is studying to be an English professor and has read practically all the classics and romance in existence, so far. She loves print but is transitioning over. But she still curls up with her paperbacks and a cup of tea.
I’ve noticed the Gen Y YA writers in our writer’s critique group use their Kindles.
We Baby Boomers read print. Our younger grandchildren seem to prefer print also. I wonder if this is because that is how we read to them. The teens in my life ask for books, not downloads.
But the good news is everyone is reading.
And thanks for sharing the letter. Priceless, and in print.
Gen X and Gen Y parents prefer reading print books to their children. Something about cuddling up together and sharing a book–especially a picture book.
I’m seeing many Baby Boomers using eReaders as well. The more I read on my Kindle, the more I tend to look over at it with longing. The same “no time, but how I wish” longing I used to have for the unread books on my stack.
I would like to speak for most of genetation y when I say we love our books and we are slowly getting other people to atleast like them too. My family already knows that I want notebooks or books for any gift giving occassion. And there’s always atleast one or two on my person at all times.
I think I’ve introduced more people to nooks just by simply smiling when something’s funny or laughing out loud at the books. It makes people curious to see what has caused such a reaction in you. I love that.
The Barnes & Noble people owe you big time, Tedra! I love that you are intentionally being an influencer.
What a wonderful and encouraging post, Wendy. I MUST read your Daughters of the Faith books soon–just that one line drew me in so beautifully.
Thanks, Kiersti.
What a lovely letter! Isn’t it humbling to know you have brought joy to the lives of others? One of my favorite quotes for writing is, “Ministry is done not just in the pulpit!” 🙂
It would seem that ease of access through mobile devices has helped increase the interest in reading. Instead of having to drive to a library or bookstore and lug a bulky 500-page novel, folks can just flip on their phone or tablet and jump into a good story.
I think you’ve hit a key element, Larry. When I can get a book with one keystroke, I’m going to read more.
To know that the words you wrote were not only listened to with wonder, but are internally replayed and relished through the years must be an awesome compliment Wendy. Soak it in.
As a Gen X gal (1977) I remember sitting in an overstuffed recliner in my living room as a teenager with nothing but the ticking clock interrupting the stories unfolding through my books. And then I would read Victoria Holt novels late into the night by the light of my bedside lamp, my arms falling asleep because all the blood rushed to my elbows.
Today I keep reading-to my child, and to myself.
Oh, Jenni, I think we are kindred spirits. I loved Victoria Holt– those wonderful Gothic romantic mysteries. House of a Thousand Lanterns. The Peacock Fan.
If you like Holt you need to read the upcoming Julie Klassen– The Tutor’s Daughter, coming out January 1st. When I read the manuscript I got shivers. From the Cornish cliffs to the brooding atmosphere, it’s everything I always loved about Gothics.
I recently read The Road to Paradise Island again.
Thanks for the heads up about Julie’s book. I look forward to reading it.
As a teenager (generation Y?), I can say that I and most of my friends read way more than we watch TV. A friend and I recently agreed that this line from The Little Princess describes us well, “She doesn’t read books, she devours them like a little wolf.”
Most of us still prefer print books too. 😉