I mean I'd argue that the current conversation is one of the best I've had on the site in months, but you do you
oh man I'm the opposite, not having a book in front of me and only listening causes me to zone out completely. I can focus on podcasts when driving or immersed in a mindless game, but other than that it's bad.
In general. I can't keep up with this current conversation, so if it's good, then cool. But it'll devolve, just like other threads have.
I honestly came in expecting "unpopular music opinions" level bad, but was super pleased with what I read.
I agree 100%. My push back and experience is that most kids cannot hold a conversation about themes within a story, which I attribute to lack of engaging with literature (of any highbrow or lowbrow level), as literature is probably the easiest form of story to educate from as it isn't a "moving" medium.
In my previous school I basically had free reign to design the curriculum. I decided on a whim to read Animal Farm with my 7th grade and it worked out pretty well. At my new school it's a little more strict in terms of following a set curriculum but I'm happy with the works we're covering.
I haven't read a book in forever but I spend all day every day reading articles online about a variety of topics
I really have no use being in this thread since I am so popular and my opinions are loved by everyone on this site.
Interesting. There is nothing like holding a book in your hands, for sure. I'm trying to make a conscientious effort to engage more with the publishing world and reading widely since I am about to take that next step and pursue representation to try and get a novel published after the first of the year. So audiobooks have helped me get through some stories I typically wouldn't get through on my own (or would've given up on if I was reading a hard copy) that are influential in the game right now. Related: I just finished my 500th book last night, if my GoodReads tally is correct.
I think the biggest argument is that themes are more easily understood when you need to use imagination. Literature allows you a chance to formulate your own opinion on characters motives and whatnot. Video games, television, and comics tend to telegraph things a bit more. We see a lot more formulaic approaches. That's not to say these things don't exist outside of books, but it's the easiest to develop those skills from.
thank you so much the support I've gotten from this community has been unreal and has helped make the difference in my success
If I'm being real, I'd attribute the loss of conversational or analytical skill regarding literature to the standardized testing epidemic running rampant in just about every school. Couple that with underfunding, teacher burnout, external factors etc. etc. and you have the root of your problem. I've been lucky enough to have been in schools where teachers aren't encouraged to teach to the test for the entirety of the year, so I can get away with what I'm doing. On the other hand, I've interviewed at places/spoken with people who work at places where 99.9% of every lesson is completely scripted. "Teacher does this. Pause 5 seconds. Student responds with this." It's fucking awful, and that's the charter school that's currently taking over most of the buildings in Philly.
I have a stack of books I have yet to read that I buy when I go to a used book store. I get easily distracted by the internet, music and movies but I picked Jonathan Abrams basketball book back up yesterday and intend on trying to read more