Why I No Longer Read

Lea Wolff, Staff

As a high school student, I am not able to make time for the things that I used to love. I do not remember the last time I was able to pick up a book.

Former bookworms begin to enter the problem of not being able to have time to read when they enter later years in life. The academic workload soon becomes more of a priority than sitting down and reading a good book.¨Homework usually takes up most of my time. If I’m able to read sometime after school it’s usually because I didn’t get homework or I didn’t have anything [due] the next day¨ Ashley Cabrera, 10, said.

The true experience of reading includes relaxing, losing yourself in your thoughts and forgetting your surroundings. A bookworm is easily able to completely lose themselves in a book,¨If I can find a book that grabs my attention I will go unseen for about two day¨ Cabrera, 10, said, that they can completely forget their surroundings. I, unfortunately, have not been able to experience this relatable feeling in such a lengthy time that I fear completely losing it. Although some of my English classes have allowed me to pick out my own independent reading novels, it’s not the same.

These required reading novels for my English classes provide an entirely different feeling than if I was to choose to read a book on my own time. Not only do I feel that these required reading novels for my English classes feel forced upon me, but it also often requires annotations. These required annotations often interrupt my thinking and make me stress out more about if I am filling the required number then let me enjoy the book itself.

I want a future where the walls that are covered with books in my room are finally able to be read. But for now, those books will have to collect dust as I focus on my academic priorities.