McNaughton: Search for entertainment should end with a book

Thursday, April 30, 2009

With the current state of our economy, people are constantly looking for cheap, alternative forms of entertainment. One form that has been grossly overlooked is literature. Literature provides insight, as well entertainment, while at the same time expanding your mind and vocabulary in ways that most activities these days do not.

Unfortunately, many people these days wouldn’t be caught dead reading for entertainment. Students barely read their assignments. I have a friend who has made it a personal goal to never read a book while in college, and surprisingly enough, three years in, he has thus far succeeded.

As an English major, a semester has not gone by in which I haven’t been required to read a novel.

Books are not only entertainment, but are also time capsules revealing thoughts, attitudes, fears and hopes of the past. Books have sparked revolutions. They’ve motivated, inspired, caused debates and changed lives. And yet, in spite of all that books are capable of, literature readership in the United States has been rapidly declining in the past decade.

People need to put down the remote and pick up a book. It’s cheaper than cable and gives you something a little more insightful to think about than “Dancing with the Stars.”

There are so many books out there on such a wide variety of subjects; I guarantee anyone can find something that will spark their interest.

The University could help by endorsing books that better our minds rather than choosing those supported by companies and those that empty our pockets. Book fairs and book sales would be a great way to develop student interest and promote readership.

I challenge everyone to read a little more this week. By finishing this article, you’ve already one-upped the person next to you who’s only doing the Sudoku.Now go the full mile and read an entire book, even if half of it is pictures. I won’t judge.

— McNaughton is a Topeka senior in English and journalism.

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