Heck, if Oprah can get America to read, so can you

Remember the dreary announcement by the National Endowment for the Arts, in 2004, that literary reading in the U.S. was on a steep decline? The endowment’s report, "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America," shocked and irritated many with its description of falling reading standards. Part of the decline, the report said, was due to our media-saturated culture distracting people away from timeless texts. But unlike other prophets and their dire predictions, the NEA didn’t stop there. It followed up its words with action in the form of "The Big Read," a program developed by the NEA and other groups. The program is designed to bring vibrant discussions of great books to a neighborhood near you by awarding grants and developing book clubs and discussion groups.

This fall, several Los Angeles-area organizations--including the L.A. Public Library, Will & Company, Cal Poly Pomona Foundation and Rancho Cucamonga Public Library--will be among 117 groups nationwide rediscovering (or, for that matter, discovering for the first time) novels by John Steinbeck, Ray Bradbury, Rudolf Anaya, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston and many others.

According to an NEA announcement Monday, the grants will range from $5,000 to $20,000. Each community reading group also will receive reading guides for specific books, online support and other materials to make this a rewarding experience for all comers. "The Big Read" begins in September, and any group that’s sorry it missed the opportunity to participate will have a second chance: Another "Big Read" begins in January 2008, and the application deadline is at the end of July. 

Nick Owchar

Comments

[Ranse Parker]

I agree with the statement that the decline in reading interest is due in part to “our media-saturated culture distracting people away from timeless texts.” But lets give credit were credit is really due. If you want to find the heart of “falling reading standards,” you need to look no further than the publishing industry itself.

There was a time when ‘the story’ portion of literature meant everything. Thought provoking prose and well-choreographed storylines were the primary goals of most authors. Now it seems that in the progress of our sales-driven ‘media-saturated’ world, sensationalistic flash-in-the-pan has become more of the literary standard as publishers fight for market share. The losers in this business are the real literary authors, and the readers looking for that ‘timeless’ new material. The personal connection between them has been steadily deteriorating.

Although people like Oprah generate an occasional interest, what the industry really needs is an influx of quality writing void of commercial bias. Recently, I spent a great deal of effort and time to write and publish one of those works. Preliminary response has been overwhelmingly positive from test groups and local readers. But the book industry wants nothing to do with this type of publishing from any author, regardless of professional quality and reader acceptance.

An incongruity has developed in the industry, and a controlling wedge has been placed between many authors and potential readers. As long as book sales is the driving motivation behind writing, notable literary achievements will continue to decline along with readership. It’s time to recognize the real problem and build some bridges.