When I held my first published children’s book in my hands I couldn’t help reflecting on the difficulties I had with literacy: I read very little in my teens; at school I struggled with Shakespeare and, particularly, Chaucer; essays for homework always sent a shiver down my spine, and I was terrified of reading out loud in class. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I read for pleasure.
I scraped a pass in my English Language and Literature O Levels – QED you might suggest. My love of books came late, but it came. My love of writing came later still (together with a smidgeon of hate).
The National Literacy Trust says that one in five children and young people rarely or never read in their own time. We hear also that reading for pleasure amongst teenagers is decreasing.
My up-to-date point of reference for this issue is two teenage boys I supported as an Independent Visitor. They liked football, rugby, girls and computer games. As we got to know each other, they discovered that I was an aspiring writer and enjoyed books. They had absolutely no interest in reading. They couldn’t recall a book they had read in school, let alone in their spare time. I hasten to add they are not illiterate. We did have common ground in rugby and football, and I was happy to listen to them chat about computer games, even if I hadn’t a clue what they were talking about – it was communication, and that’s what mattered. I used to mention books I liked, in an effort, I guess, to pique their curiosity; I even talked about music I enjoyed, including my love of opera – you can imagine the comments they made.
We once went to see a Harry Potter movie, and afterwards I said, “You know Harry Potter was a book before it was a film.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, why don’t you try reading the book?”
“What for? We just saw the film.”
Imagine an unspoken “Duh!” after that sentence. It was a fair point, and I realised their priorities, like millions of other children, lay elsewhere. It felt unfair to nag them about something that, at their age, did not excite me.
Of course, I’m not suggesting that we don’t need to encourage boys to read, but we can do it without making them feel they have some sort of deficiency, compared to girls. We know boys can and do read, but if they don’t choose to read in their spare time, then we have to find ways of drawing them in – graphic novels, books about computer games, and stories within a computer game, to name but a few. It is a problem that is not going away because of the many distractions boys and girls have in the present day; the simple fact is: many children, particularly boys, prefer computer games.
In my teens, I lacked confidence and self-belief. I would often talk to the boys about the importance of speaking out: to say what they wanted, and what they didn’t want in their lives – to know their rights in a world that has less and less time and resources for children, especially those in the care system. Among all the things they are going to need in life, I would certainly hope that at some point they develop a love of books and reading. Who knows, maybe they’ll even get into Oscar Peterson and Verdi – and I’ll get into computer games.
I can honestly say that my difficulty and reluctance with reading and writing did not harm me, though you could argue I may have been a published author sooner than fifty-two.
I gave a copy of my book to each boy. I think they were surprised that the talk of a book finally led to a physical thing. I warned them that the story contained no football or rugby, and only the briefest mention of computer games. It is about two girls, but they’re at the stage when the last thing they want to do is just read about girls. One of the boys told me he’d read the first chapter.
Great. It’s a start.
So, Giancarlo has found, in his personal experience, that it can be a struggle to encourage boys to pick up books. What do you think?
G. R. Gemin's novel Cowgirl is published by Nosy Crow. Find out more here.
Thanks for this comment.
I've worked with SEN children and their barriers to reading are sometimes the same as other children. I think you're doing just the right thing by readings stories and playing audio books to your son. You never know when that tipping point will occur and he will want to read for himself or hear himself reading. The great positive is that he loves stories - I often speak to children about good films when I'm talking about good books. They go together, but one never replaces the other.
I am really big on reading, and that was how I spent the majority of my recreational time as a kid. But my son has been another story. He has various learning disabilities, and reading is extremely difficult for him. I have read to him ever since he was a baby, and he is almost sixteen now. Though he doesn't have as much time for me anymore, I still read novels aloud to him. Yes, I have read the entire Harry Potter series aloud several times over, including reading book seven in seven days, the last day (a Saturday) reading for hours on end, only stopping to eat or drink or take bathroom breaks. He loves epic fantasy, and when he has seen a good movie based on a book, he wants me to read the book to him.
Will he ever be a reader? He is capable of reading, but it is so hard that he really doesn't get enjoyment out of reading himself. Thank goodness for audiobooks, when he gets too old for mom to read for him anymore. I hope he uses them!
Thanks for the comments. The main point I was making was that for some boys reading is something they just don't engage in; perhaps because it is difficult, there are barriers, or that they simply prefer to do other stuff. I'm the last person that would suggest giving up on encouraging them or trying different methods to entice them to read.
I work in a primary school at the moment, and in the Year 3 class I'm working with there are some avid readers among the boys. I just think the pejorative comparison with girls (and it's out there) is not helping - it's missing the point. Positive solutions are required, not negative statistics.