a long read about the development of literacy in the usa. they see a decline nowadays,
when i think back, in my family reading was a passtime for everyone. going on holiday abroad where there was no german tv and only one distorted german radio station to be had was always the bestest time to read. i was waiting eagerly for the summer holiday, saving books for the good time! the horror when one of us had miscalculated his or her reading amount! then my parents even started to read my sf books. most of my friends back then were not as eager as me but still everybody was reading books.
later i learned that this was not fully normal. in the army i was the only one to read books after a full day. and later during my university time in the 90s i still met people who were reading books, but they became fewer the older i got. with exception of my family i lost all people who could recommend me new stuff.
and nowadays i only know of 2 people in my direct social group outside my family who read for recreation. but unluckily nothing i would pick up myself ("serious" literature that critics talk about, and romance and thrillers)
so my anecdotical evidence tells me, that the age of reading has already been over for quite some time ...
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