There have never been more opportunities for Americans to read a book.
Never.
You can buy a hardback book, a paperback book, read online, even on your cellphone. You can store books on other mobile devices and read them in parks, at lunch, on airplanes and trains, even in your car or on your boat. You can read them at home, at the beach, at lunch, in your office, or while sitting around the campfire during a weekend in the woods.
And there has never been a time when more books are available for Americans to read. Thanks to the emergence of independent publishing, there has been an explosion of books by new authors in every genre imaginable. A Steampunk fan? Yeah, you can find thousands of Steampunk books online. Like detective novels? Yes, they're available too as are romance novels, short story collections, poetry anthologies, science fiction books, and... well, you name it and it's available often at bargain basement prices.
So, why don't more Americans read?
As a retired journalist turned novelist and a lifelong reader, I've come to think there are three main reasons why the vast majority of Americans don't read. I could, of course, be wrong about this but, honestly, I don't think I am.
The first reason is that for more than 40 years now reading has been de-emphasized in public schools.
An example: When my son was in junior high school, I discovered that despite the fact he was apparently doing well in his classes, he was functionally illiterate. He couldn't spell simple words and hadn't ever been required to write a book report. I spoke to a couple of his teachers about this and they told me that the "new emphasis" was on math and science, not the "soft" subjects like English and literature.
But not being able to read and comprehend what is written on a page is critical to math and science just as it is to every other subject in the curriculum. That's what I thought, anyway. His teachers, however, disagreed, Filmstrips, lectures, and other aids were taking the place of reading some dusty old book about algebra or chemistry.
I went home, canceled our cable television service (much to the horror of his mother) and my son and I began reading "Treasure Island" after dinner. When we finished that we read "Moby Dick." Within six months his reading levels were far beyond the junior high level and these days (I'm happy to say) he's a former English teacher turned junior high principal who puts a real emphasis on reading at his school.
The second reason why Americans don't read is the myth - and it is a myth - that Americans are just too darn busy to read.
We like to think of ourselves as busy, busy, busy; always on the move, always hustling to get ahead, get a promotion, get a new job.
But are we really?
No.
We're not.
How do I know this?
I know it because we're a nation that spends endless hours in front of television sets and computer screens watching re-runs of shows that we've already seen so often we can recite the dialogue from memory.
When we're not doing that we're watching professional football programming (including both pre-game and post-game analysis) from noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays, for half the night on Mondays, all day on Saturdays during the collegiate season, and for hours on end on any other night that a game is being played.
We watch March Madness at the end of the NCAA basketball season, baseball games in the summer and fall, and any other sporting event that looks even mildly interesting.
Too busy to spend 30 minutes a day reading?
To borrow a phrase from ESPN: "C'mon Man!"
Finally, based on my observation, millions of Americans don't read because doing so could force them to see the world through different eyes.
That's not something many Americans are comfortable doing. They're locked into certain beliefs about what the world SHOULD be like in their minds. Because reading books might force them to consider that what they've been told by their favorite sports stars, or movie stars, politicians, pastors, or their neighbors might be wrong they just aren't willing to take that risk.
That's really too bad because reading has enriched my life for these past 70 years. It's taught me tolerance, patience, and brought me both joy and sadness. It's taught me how to throw a knuckleball (you don't actually use your knuckles but your fingertips), how to be a better bowler, how to make codfish taste like lobster, bake a pie, and even how to take apart, clean, and put a carburetor back together. (I know, cars don't come with carburetors these days but when they did, I knew how to fix them thanks to books.)
My point is this: Opening a book is akin to shrugging into a backpack, walking out the door, and heading down the road just to see what's on the other side of the hill. Reading really is an adventure that can take you to distant places -including distant planets - where you can meet fascinating people, both real and imagined.
And it's useful, especially if you're single and need to know how to cook something other than spaghetti.
So do yourself a favor America, pick up a book and give reading a try.
Who knows... you might even like it.

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KCABGK