Written by Meltem Cana Etiz

If you clicked on this article because you love reading, it wasn’t written for you. However, I hope you read it anyway and send it to whomever you think needs to see it. It could be someone you heard say “I read for school but I don’t get pleasure from it,” or “I’ve tried it a few times but it’s just not my thing,” or even “I don’t like to read, but I’ll watch the movie.” To people who love to read, these responses might sound jarring. However, it’s not because readers think that it’s an offence for others not to share their love. Rather, they feel pity towards those who have never experienced the benefits and more importantly the joy of reading for pleasure.

First, let’s look at some of the facts. Reading for pleasure is correlated with better stress management, higher employment income, academic achievement, higher self-esteem and increased volunteering. Besides the obvious advantages, such as an enhanced vocabulary and imagination, reading has been shown to improve our ability to feel empathy. Overall, our life satisfaction appears to be increased by the simple act of looking at ink on a page and imagining.

We need to discuss the act of reading akin to the way we talk about physical exercise. We can all agree that exercise is good for one’s health and a key way of leading a happy, fulfilled life. In saying so, we recognize that not everyone exercises the same way. You might hate the gym and love to dance, or prefer an organized team sport to going for a jog. There isn't a right way of getting and keeping fit. I will argue that reading is exactly the same. It is an act that is beneficial without a doubt, requires focus and energy, while also needing to use trial and error to figure out what works best for you.

Oftentimes when we are forced to read, specifically material we aren’t excited about, it makes the act of reading feel like a chore. This is very much the case for me when I pick up a book I really don’t care for, or get a few chapters into a book I thought I would like. The idea that you must finish a book because you started it is utterly ridiculous to me. Life is short and if you do not want to read all of Slaughterhouse-Five or Jane Eyre because you didn’t like it as much as you thought you would, then don’t. Here’s a hot take: do not read anything (for pleasure) that you don’t want to. There is no ubiquitous reading list that everyone needs to follow and what I enjoy might be torturously boring to you. Read something you enjoy. If you don’t like long period-piece novels, then read magazines, newspapers, novellas, poetry, short fiction… The list goes on until you give up on it. Read what you can. Sometimes the price of reading can be a little steep. Popular and well-loved readings are usually priced accordingly. Don’t fret! There is a workaround. Websites such as ThriftBooks and BookOutlet present many buying options that are cost-effective. If buying still doesn’t seem worth it, I strongly encourage a trip to the library. You might be surprised at just how much you love the process of picking out a book, that you’ll have no choice but to sit down and give it a go.

There is a beauty that words can bring to one’s mind that is quite unmatched. As one of our oldest forms of communication, a signal of education, reading for pleasure is a form of connecting. Asking someone what their favourite book(s), author(s), quote(s) is one of the most intimate ways of getting to know their mind. It is not tied to their reading level or their cultural connectedness, but rather their imagination and what inspires them. To read is to know and to feel. On a personal level, reading makes us better people. On a collective scale, reading helps us exchange information and share stories. I find that my love for reading is something I can bond over with almost anyone. There is a shared understanding of being immersed in a narrative, appreciating the nuances in language and the bittersweet feeling of a final full stop. Despite being out of context, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s strong words come to mind: “Never underestimate the power of a girl with a book.” If I may, I would humbly like to add that we should also never underestimate the power of reading itself.

The Case for Reading

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