Young People DO Still Read!

Just when I get discouraged about the decrease in readers, especially among young people, I get proven wrong, to my delight. I tend to worry that young people spend all their time online or on the phone or playing video games or doing anything else but reading. (OK, it's a stereotype, and I am exaggerating a bit, but there is definitely some evidence for this). However, I should have more faith in young people and in the enduring joys of reading. Yesterday I was at a hair salon and a very young (maybe 20ish) woman working there began talking with me about books. She told me she loved to read, and told me what kinds of books she reads. I was of course tickled to hear that she reads Jane Austen, along with contemporary novels and poetry. She told me she always has a book with her, wherever she goes. And that she loves reading in the morning with a cup of coffee. She also loves spending time in bookstores. A girl after my own heart! And - not to my surprise - she told me that her mother loves to read too, and always read to her when she was little. Hurray for the young readers of the world (and for the moms and dads who read to them!)! (I gave her the address of this blog, so if she is reading this: Thanks for giving my faith in young readers a big boost!)