From Rory Gilmore to Sheldon Cooper, reading has been romanticized or labeled as “nerdy” in popular media. It also may seem that the only reading material is the literature read in schools. However, the positive impacts of reading are endless and there is something for everyone in some type of story. 

It is not rare to hear phrases like “the more you read, the more you’ll know.” Despite such statements’ repetition or exaggeration, there is truth behind them. A study conducted by the Institute of Education showed that those who read for pleasure have a 14.4% advantage in vocabulary and a 9.9% advantage in math. In addition to academic benefits, reading allows for mental exercise and the expansion of the mind. It is a way to take time away from electronics and use imagination to create an enjoyable experience.

Science teacher Mrs. Ruege applauds reading for its “easy access to just a really cool imagination, and you get taken away to different places.”  In addition, she highlights that reading enables people to use their minds to create characters and pictures. 

If reading has countless positive impacts, why do so many still avoid reading?

Junior Annalisa Pellegrino feels that school-required reading causes far too much pressure on students. “It’s a lot to have to remember so many details and then apply them on tests and essays,” she said. 

Thus, it is evident that being expected to read and remember a book in a certain time frame is enough to make students steer clear of outside reading. Although it is understandable that reading is unappealing when it is forced upon and portrayed unfavorably by the media, it is crucial to understand that loving to read is not “nerdy” and does not call for certain kinds or amounts of novels.

If C.S Lewis, Jane Austen, and Ray Bradbury are not necessarily pleasure reading material, think back to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Junie B. Jones, and Dork Diaries. Not all reading will require 200 pages a day, character analysis charts, and an underlying theme essay, and all it takes is the turn of a page to discover that.