28 October 2011 | by Opelo Matome

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  – Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”

“UGLY”. That is the name of the book I am currently reading, written by Constance Briscoe. I started reading this book a while ago and I am almost ashamed to say that I haven’t completed it yet. Yes, I have many reasons and many excuses as to why that book mark has remained on page 79 for the past couple of days but if we’re being honest, no excuse is good enough to explain why I haven’t read. And no excuse is good enough to explain an increasing number of young people no longer read.

Before I go on, I would like to clarify that in this article I am talking about reading books, novels and news articles, not magazines or lyrics to songs. It seems as though more and more of us (teenagers) are reading fewer and fewer books. I know this because only one of my five closest friends is always reading and probably checks out a book from the library every two weeks. Perhaps it’s because nowadays we hardly have time to decide on a good book to choose let alone actually read the book. But like I said before, there is no excuse to explain why we aren’t reading.

It is possible to make time during our busy days to pick up a book and read; how about spending 15 minutes on Facebook and the other 45 reading The Accidental Billionaires, by Ben Mezrich ? Or skipping this week’s episode of your favourite television show and spending an hour buried in a good book? It sounds harder than it actually is and this could be because many young people nowadays see reading as just a hobby, or something that you do to keep you entertained on long trips. Many of us don’t realise that reading more will help you excel at school and reach your full potential.

Reading stimulates the neurons and keeps the brain active. A reader is always aware of correct grammar, syntax, logic, pathos and bathos, plot and the overall theme of the story, when given, for example, a creative writing assignment. I think you are quite aware that this doesn’t just apply to the subject, English, but to any other writing subjects. Do not fret, not everything is about school, reading can also serve as a form of entertainment. Instead of going to watch a movie, save money (and energy) and read the book. I guarantee it will be just as entertaining and more beneficial for you.

Yesterday (28^th October 2011) I attended a book review at our school library, in fact, I was reviewing To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, and I was slightly disappointed to see that not as many students as could have attended this event (which concluded this year’s Library month). Is it because it was a Friday afternoon and most students wouldn’t want to spend it at school? Or maybe because they are just not interested? If that is the case then I think the students need to be educated about what you gain from reading and attending the Library Month activities would do just that.

On the other hand, it wouldn’t be fair for me to ignore the group of people that do read and that do go to the Library more often than any other school facility or those that keep a collection of books they’ve read (or are still to read) in their homes. I commend these people. They are enriching their lives and simultaneously educating and entertaining themselves. If you do not consider yourself an ‘avid reader’ or you do not read at all, the fact that you’ve read this article is a start! Now you see that anyone is capable of switching off the T.V and picking up a book.