2. I believe that reading teaches you how to effectively articulate your thoughts and feelings better in real life; if you have a back log of great vocabulary in your mind then you can easily communicate exactly how you are feeling to another person with the hope that they will listen and equally articulate an answer or advice back to you. You will also find it easier to hold your own when trying to voice your opinion in a debate or discussion. Often when people are struggling to get across what they're thinking it can be a great source of frustration.
3. Reading provides you with knowledge and knowledge is power. Often books are a product of their situation and can educate the reader on the political/ social/ historical context of the time. For example; I learnt a lot about post-WW2 America by reading Kerouac & Ginsberg and I learnt a lot about the cold war by reading Orwell, I learnt about the 20s from Fitzgerald, the Great Depression from Steinbeck and racial inequalities in the US from To Kill a Mockingbird. This is not limited to fictional literature however as you can learn about life as a Jewish person in Nazi Europe by reading Anne Frank's diary and the rise of gonzo journalism from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
4. Not only do we learn about external contexts from reading but we also learn empathy on a personal and emotional level from being exposed to other people's families, cultures, situations etc that we would most likely never find ourselves in. We are taught to think about how we would react if we were to find ourselves in a similar situation and are encouraged to see the world from a different point of view. This is why it is particularly essential to encourage children to read as they are such sponges and are more likely to go into a book with no pre-conceived prejudices. The best example that I can provide from my childhood are the books of Jacqueline Wilson (who deserves an entire post purely dedicated to her brilliance) as I remember reading about divorce, single parents, alcoholism, sex, bullying and eating disorders from her books which was so far away from my wonderfully sheltered, suburban existence. Therefore when I saw friend's going through difficult times similar to what Wilson had detailed in her stories, I was more equipped to empathise with their situation.
*you should also check out Jen Campbell's youtube 'Be a good human' tag video where she, much more eloquently, speaks about how reading simply makes us nicer people *
5. Reading improves your focus, concentration and memory (it is basically like going to the gym for your brain) something which is increasingly getting lost with the 'instant' culture that we seem to live in where concentration spans are getting shorter. Reading makes you slow time down, drown out the stresses of deadlines and meetings, and shut off from the outside world for a period of time.
6. Reading improves your own creativity. As a reader you are an active participant in the process; you imagine the characters and the setting and can interpret the writing in which way you see fit. When watching a film you are more of a passive participant as you are watching the Director's interpretation of the story.
7. It is a great (and cheap) form of entertainment. Getting lost inside your imagination can be the most thrilling thing and it can be a great social tool too (e.g. book clubs, online discussions, booktube etc).
8. Ultimately reading/ writing books can change the world. We need to learn and progress as a species and this can be done through the power of words which is why certain (especially politically charged books) are banned in some countries. Religious texts, however we feel about them, can influence entire social groups and even books such as Mein Kampf, however horrific, are so essential for progression. We mustn't shy away from being made to feel uncomfortable or confronting issues that we would rather shy away from as otherwise we can't learn from the past and move forward.
Hello and welcome to This Ruth Is On Fire, a UK blog which is a haven for random thoughts and sarcastic observations.
I'm also into books, clothes and visiting places too.
