Shaping A Reader
In the very few years we have to scan those school library shelves, by simply picking up books that speak to us, our personalities are being brought to life and shared with peers and teachers. Whether I was in the history section trying to wrap my head around the past, the vast wonders of the globe, gazing through the pages of a space book, or stuck in the fiction aisles searching for the next Junie B Jones or a Rainbow Magic book. I always found myself overwhelmed and unable to determine which stack of bound pages I was to check out for the week. Did I want to learn more about people before or get lost in the pages of every Goosebumps and Series of Unfortunate Events book? Predictably, I took the latter.
Influencing young readers
The Secret History / Donna Tartt
Red Rising / Pierce Brown
Circe / Madeline Miller
The Picture of Dorian Gray / Oscar Wilde
The Glass Castle / Jeanette Walls
In grade school, you have one simple hour each day dedicated to library time, and with a room full of books, it is a prime opportunity to educate and expand the minds of young readers. The slow, gradual growth of my love for reading and writing started when I was in third grade. I had a teacher who did just that. In her unique ways, she expanded my mind and guided me in the direction that allowed me to love a book for its individuality. Even at such a young age, I noticed her ability to help me understand traits within myself to determine what genres I was certain to like.
After leaving her class, throughout the remainder of grade school, I noticed less positive outcomes from my reading, feeling obligated to meet certain reading goals every month in order to pass. Being less inspired and having little desire to take the time to enjoy the books I wanted, I spent years slacking off. I struggled to adapt to the school regulations of what and how much we had to read.
A true showcase of the importance of a great teacher, a great influencer to uplift and guide in the right direction, because without that, young readers will never know what it feels like to get lost in pages. They will begin to see reading as a chore instead of an opportunity to learn, relax, and express.
The expression found in reading deserves to again be our greatest form of connection – to again recognize what is authentic. It is as much the responsibility of casual readers as it is the influencers, writers, publishers, and teachers to teach these young readers that it only takes one individual — one idea — to create something that allows us to escape and find our own meaning.
But some of us cannot restart the clock. The damage has already been done, with an on-and-off, unstable relationship with the books on our shelf; we have to undo the damage ourselves.
Strengthening your reading.
Growing up, my on-off relationship with reading boiled down to not one but many issues. Can I focus long enough to get through a page or two without checking my phone or thinking about the chores that need to be done around the house? Will I settle on one book, make it the full way through, without thinking about the others on the shelf? Do I really enjoy the genres I’m picking out? So how do we strengthen as readers? It all seems so simple, at least it should be simple, right? Simple to develop our tastes for different genres, simple to know that every time we pick a novel up, we won't get overwhelmed with life's other responsibilities, but we are exposed to too much every day for it to ever be that simple. It takes discipline, drive, understanding, and sometimes a little guidance in the right direction to strengthen our reading.
Mental Clutter
So let's focus on one thing at a time… focus. Focus might be one of the biggest struggles of today's readers. You open that book up thinking you're starting strong, and suddenly you're 6 pages in with no idea of what you just read — but a thought-out task list of what needs to be done around the house. Instead of solving the issue, you grab your phone. Now, not only are you doom scrolling for the next thirty minutes, but you have failed to re-read those 6 pages and forgotten that mental list of chores. And if you're the rare breed that can sit down and read for hours without struggle, as much as I envy you, this section may not be for you.
I struggle with this more than I'd like to admit. It has taken me years of trial and error to find something that works for me. It all begins with a good reading environment. An engaged mind needs a clear slate. So, before taking that book off the shelf, let's tackle these distractions. Go start that laundry you’ve been putting off, get the dishes done, get your bed made, the dog walked and the kitchen vacuumed.
Then we have to deal with the phone. The temptation of scrolling will destroy any novel no matter your reading intentions. Allow yourself a set time to clear your mind of it – check your email, reply to messages, all without drifting onto other apps. Only then, when you've checked your list off, can you confidently pick that book up you’ve so desperately wanted to start without feeling behind.
At least not for me, it doesn't stop there. I can have a spotless house, a stocked kitchen, and a clean car, yet I will still be ten pages in when the train of thought is on its way to interrupt with “more important” responsibilities. So if you’re anything like me, sometimes it takes getting out of the house, away from any distraction. Pick your favorite coffee shop — the one where you know the coffee won't disappoint. Make a “thoughts” list on your phone, now, every time something so desperately needs to be thought about later, type it out and return to reading. If you are someone who can’t have it within a reachable distance without picking it up, no shame, it just needs to be left in another room/car, silent and buzzer off. Instead, tuck a pen and paper inside the book, and when those ideas and/or responsibilities invade your focus, you're list is ready.
Focus doesn’t come naturally, so set the stage for success and give reading the time and space it deserves.
One Book
We are meant to experience while reading — not treat it as a task to check off our to-do list or a “pages read” stat to brag about at the end of the year. While having these personal reading goals can be satisfying to meet and held up with healthy motivation habits, I have personally had to teach myself to carefully step around that rabbit hole.
I have begun to take the slower route, take the scenic route of a writer's world and engulf myself in the details.
It seems that everyone is rushing to finish a certain number of pages each month, chasing an absurdly large yearly book list, and not fully immersing themselves in a book. Being a fast reader is something in itself, but being a slow, intentional one will cause you to be more observant of a novel's hidden details. So try it next time you pick up a new book. Unpack each chapter, research meanings that names might hold, imagine the state of mind the writer would be in while writing their work, and take your time to settle in.
Confidence in your style
I will begin this with the state your books live in. Do you prefer your collection in pristine condition — stacked nicely on the shelf, looking flawlessly unread? Or do you enjoy seeing them folded and marked from years of re-reading, sharing, and analyzing? Both are okay — it all comes down to personal preference. A quiet stigma has formed that all books need to be kept in tiptop shape so they don't lose their “value”.
As for myself, I have no intention of parting with my books. Sometimes I envy those who keep their books in superb condition — in ways, it is more aesthetically pleasing. But I prefer to use my items for their sole purpose, right up to their breaking point. So, I will continue, as should you, to bend the binding when one hand is occupied, fold the pages of my favorite chapters, take notes, and underline something I want to remember. Because who's to say that isn’t adding value? In fact, when I shop second hand, I search for the books with highlighted phrases and folded pages, it adds a bit more life.
