I remember many years ago when I encountered a book titled, Why Johnny Can’t Read. It was a best-seller for 37 weeks in 1955. That is nearly 70 years ago. As a life-long reader, I found this shocking at the time. My life has been so influenced by reading that it seems impossible to imagine that education could happen without reading.
Recently the magazine, The Atlantic, for October 1, 2024, contained an article titled, “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” Interviews with professors in several top universities detailed the problems students have reading a whole book. Apparently, long books (anything over a hundred pages?) are too challenging for university students. High School teachers are using short excerpts and anthologies, as well as other short forms, because the students can’t sustain reading.
Reading problems have been around for a long time as the “Johnny” book illustrates, but the problem has gotten increasingly worse. One professor confessed that students have trouble reading a sonnet (a 14-line poem) without becoming distracted and losing the train of thought.
Perhaps this explains why some of my students when I taught at university level had trouble following biblical materials and often showed virtually no familiarity with the Old or New Testament. Surely it is a problem to follow the teachings and actions of Jesus, if you can’t concentrate for more than 14 verses. Keep on reading for both your mind and your soul.