I am going to insert my apologies here for not keeping true to this blog.  Life can sometimes throw a large rock into the “writing stream”.

Words are magnificent. They can convey a thousand emotions with one tiny sentence. In just a few paragraphs, different worlds and new civilizations can be brought to life. One book can take us far across the galaxy or into the distant past.

I am happy to have gone to a school district where, at the time, The Jungle, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Awakening were read and debated in lengthy class discussions. Those select works were an inspiration to me. They cultivated my love for the written word.  They made me who I am today

So that is why I cannot fathom why the younger generations are not reading.  Is there no more intrigue into the mysterious worlds and wonders that books can provide?  Has the younger generation lost their imaginations by being bombarded by video games and TV?

The worst correlation to the loss of interest in literature is that literacy levels are on the decline.  Age groups are not reading to their full potential.

It would grieve me if I ever had a child and they were handed the video of Pride and Prejudice in class and not the glorious words written by the hand of Jane Austen.

We need to strengthen childhood and adolescent literacy before it is too late.

©2011, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative – visit  Amanda Headlee — It is Always Darkest Before the Dawn for the original source of this content.