The young student doing working experience at The WRITE STUFF has been a member of The WRITE STUFF Kids Club since it’s beginning over 6 years ago. He has been an avid reader and continues to engage in book discussion and writing exercises at the club. Here he writes a piece about the importance of reading and books today. (Very impressed with his suggestion that everyone should read To Kill a Mockingbird)

Importance of Reading 

Reading is one of the most important things in our lives. Being literate is now treated as something given, something natural and that everyone should be able to read. Reading used to be a sign of your rank in society. It was treated as a talent, people would ask you to read or write letters for them, you would be a vital part of your local area.

          Reading nowadays is still just as important. Everything in this world now basically has literature as the backbone, the foundation. You reading this is an example, and with information, news, entertainment and plenty of other life’s purposes following suit. Reading is educational, schools use textbooks to give the information: if it’s online, you are still reading the work, the information.

          Few treat reading as entertainment compared to the vast majority. Little go out of their way to read books as a hobby. Maybe some loved reading during their childhood then grew out of it once older. No matter if you’re in any of those categories or other, we should still appreciate the talent of reading, of being literate. 

           If you are now thinking of picking up a book but don’t know where to start? Look for books in the genres you enjoy the most, such as action, romantic, horror, comedy, just whatever you’re into. Some would suggest books but I think that you should go into it with your own mindset, your own book. There are books that everyone should read that give powerful messages such as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, which is a book through the perspective of a child during the 1930s seeing racism and other acts in her town. Then again, I think you should just pick what would give you enjoyment, as that is what reading is for.