Books are for everyone

Regarding a fellow Editor’s previous opinionated article on Books not being for everybody, I thought I’d share another perspective. 

Reading is wholeheartedly one of life's greatest pleasures, and it can also be one of the most rewarding skills that humans can endure. However, in today's digital age, the written word is often typed in online articles or social media posts, rather than in the pages of a book. While online articles can provide quick and easy access to information, there are many benefits to reading books that make reading worthwhile. 

Reading books provides a more personal and deeper learning experience than reading online articles. Libraries fill their shelves with hundreds of genre books that make readers bound to sink into the pages. Books can stimulate the imagination in ways that online articles cannot, inviting readers to visualize scenes and characters in their own minds. The blue light that radiates off of screens and for long periods of time, can harm one's vision. Blue light contributes to eye cancer and cataracts. Having children introduced to stories online will affect them negatively and will not let them have that deep connection with a physical book that many people enjoy and later on in life, crave. 

Reading physical stories promotes critical thinking skills. By reading a book, humans are bound to think harder and become more analytical. The engagement and making predictions about what happens next, the understanding of characters or concepts, the analysis of themes and messages is stronger when the story is on paper, at your fingertips. Physical books ask more from readers and they therefore engage more deeply with them. Reading books help readers develop skills that are valuable in school, work, and everyday life. 

Books teach readers important lessons that readers could not learn anywhere else. Whether you find a book that suits someone or not, reading will leave an impact on a reader and will engrave a lesson in their minds. Like learning a lesson the hard way, books could possibly bore a reader but still teach them something valuable. Books shouldn’t ever be seen as boring homework, but as a common getaway for humans. 

Reading can improve our focus and concentration. When reading an online article, hyperlinks and pop-up ads easily distract readers. With a book, there are no such distractions. The act of reading requires a reader’s full attention and concentration. It is incredibly relaxing and calming, unless a book is suspenseful, which then would make a reader on edge. The beautiful thing about books is that they make the reader feel. Books help boost empathy and emotional intelligence. They help people unplug from the digital world that has ever so taken over our world today. Characters in a book show different perspectives which educate the reader and also give them a connection with the character. 

So, while digital stories certainly have their perks, reading books cannot be topped because of how important their benefits are to people and how much they are truly needed to expand people’s brains, emotions, and vocabulary.