I just realized my rising sophomore DD hasn't read one book this summer

[Anonymous]

Is this normal for a college student? She spends most of her time looking at her phone and doing some crafts. She also has taken a summer course but it isn't very difficult and doesn't take up too much time. Is reading a thing of the past for this generation that's tied to social media? I will say my son, who is a senior in college, has read several books for pleasure. I'm going to pick a book or two and encourage her to read them. Any suggestions on books that a 19 year old might like?

[Anonymous]

Let me preface this by saying that my 27 year old is successful in her career, which involves writing for public consumption. A couple years ago, she confessed that she had not read a book for pleasure since middle school and did not read any novels in college.

[Anonymous]

We’re just getting dumber as a society. Netflix and Hulu have taken the place of books and young people think of themselves as smart because they’ve binged Tiger King or Game of Thrones.

[Anonymous]

My son is a rising college sophomore. He took a poetry class to fill an English requirement earlier in the summer - he likes poetry, but he did choose this class, in part, so he "wouldn't have to read a lot."

I think he read The Martian during summer camp when he was 14 or 15 and probably hasn't read a book for pleasure since then. He has ADHD and it is very difficult for him to get absorbed (he made it through a few popular series as a tween/middle schooler). He has a job this summer and spends a lot of his free time on music (plays guitar, bass, piano, etc.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re just getting dumber as a society. Netflix and Hulu have taken the place of books and young people think of themselves as smart because they’ve binged Tiger King or Game of Thrones.

Not sure if this is true, especially the bolded part. I prefer books myself and think that it'd be great for people to read more, but watching complex shows like GOT can be intellectually stimulating, too.

[Anonymous]

I've been trying to get my rising HS senior to read with futility. She has not touched a book unless needed for school since she got her cell phone the summer before 9th grade

[Anonymous]

My child also does not like reading.

One thing that helps a little is to give her total control over subject (for example, she likes reading about pet care).
Novels...not so much.

Since she is an adult now, I can't really control it.

I read to her so much when she was little. It was a warm, positive experience...but she is more of a STEM kid than a humanity kid. So will not get lost in a book for pleasure. Iphones probably did not help, but in part I think it is who she is.

[Anonymous]

PS-I do think learning/reading difficulties come into play for her also.

[Anonymous]

Give her a couple books as gifts. Maybe a gripping summer reading book to start and then something more literary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this normal for a college student? She spends most of her time looking at her phone and doing some crafts. She also has taken a summer course but it isn't very difficult and doesn't take up too much time. Is reading a thing of the past for this generation that's tied to social media? I will say my son, who is a senior in college, has read several books for pleasure. I'm going to pick a book or two and encourage her to read them. Any suggestions on books that a 19 year old might like?

Do you read, op?

[Anonymous]

She is an adult. She likes to do wh at she likes to do.

You can't really encourage her to read anymore. Maybe pass along a book you've read that was good. Maybe she will pick it up.

[Anonymous]

White Fragility?

[Anonymous]

OP here- Yes, I read quite a bit. I've been in the same book club for over 20 years. I spent a lot of my time in high school and college reading for pleasure. Maybe I would have looked at social media on my phone instead if there had been such a thing....I'll present a couple of books for her to try. She was a very young reader and got almost a perfect score on her reading comprehension ACT score. We were at the library all the time when she was young because she loved books so much. The phone changed that.

[Anonymous]

She’s 19! Leave it alone. If she wants to read she’ll read.

[Anonymous]

I think reading is less popular now than it was before.

Neither my college kid nor my high school kid reads very much and if they do, only very high interest novels.

I read a ton.

I'm hoping when they have less "required" reading, they will read more for pleasure.

I did get both of them new books for our beach vacation, which they both read, mostly for me, I think.