Operation creating readers: A Quest to Reclaim the Lost Art of Reading - Part II

he feed back to our first article on the above subject has been overwhelming. From questions on how to select relevant reading material to suggestions on how to motivate kids to read, the reactions came in torrents. In a bid to respond to these and also to broaden the coverage of this thesis we re-engage you in this dialogue.

The challenges to developing the habit of reading are increasing with the development of new media. Television continues to be a distraction for many kids and the proliferation of movies has worsened this problem. The cell phone has introduced yet another source of distraction. The majority of young people seem to be addicted to the phenomenon of text messaging. This situation of text addiction could not be better depicted than the message once flowing around town “do you promise to be ma textmate, in poor signal and low battery, till lack of credit do us part”; and now even lack of credit may not pose a limit to texting since some of the promotional packages include free texting. And please do not get us wrong, we are no luddites. We believe in the power of technology to advance the cause of humanity, but emphasis must be put on responsible use of these new gadgets especially with young people.

In spite of the many advantages of TV and other new technological devices, reading stands out far superior in its power to develop young people. As Marie Winn succinctly put it in her book The Plug-in Drug, “reading trains the mind in concentration skills, develops the powers of imagination and inner visualization, lends itself to a better comprehension of the material being communicated.” It is also true that “reading waters the flower of new ideas and these ideas are catalytic to change.” The foregoing could not have been better exemplified than what we gleaned from the impact of reading on the success of America’s leading CEOs as narrated in the New York Times article “C.E.O. Libraries Reveal Keys to Success”. The afore-mentioned premises and one feedback we got from a leading world expert on education triggered our memory about this Times article. This expert’s reaction to part I of our article hinted at “investment in early childhood development as key for successful learning outcomes and a productive human capital for wealth creation.” Hence, the following references to the Times piece on the reading habits of America’s leading C.E.Os.

In this well-researched article, the author, Harriet Rubin, traces the success of many of America’s legendary C.E.Os to reading. The highlight of this thesis sums thus: “Michael Moritz, the venture capitalist who built a personal $1.5 billion fortune discovering the likes of Google, YouTube, Yahoo and PayPal . . . may seem preternaturally in tune with new media. But it is the imprint of old media - books by the thousands sprawling through his Bay Area house – that occupies mind.” Mr. Moritz’s love of books could not have been better demonstrated than his resolve to guarantee every book that enters his home a permanent place. Speaking about his books, he says “I have never been able to part with even one; they have gradually accumulated like sediment.” In sum, new media does not have to kill our love for reading. The types of books read by these C.E.O.’s range from novels, to science to poetry including ancient titles like the Persian poet, Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat.

The Times article further traces the success of Phil Knight, founder of Nike, to his love of books, alluding to the fact that his insatiable desire for reading led him to attain the “mojo to see a future global entertainment company in something as modest as a sneaker.” Further analyzing the impact of reading on the successes of these C.E.Os, Harriet Rubin marvels at the fortune spent by these gurus in building their personal libraries. We do agree with her that in analyzing the success secrets of the C.E.O of Apple, Steve Jobs, “perhaps future historians will track down Mr. Job’s Blake library to trace the inspiration for Pixar and the grail-like appeal of the iPhone.”

And now to answer some of the questions we received about strategies to motivate young people to read, we start by re-emphasizing the importance of using the library as the quintessential resource to develop the habit of reading especially in our part of the world where most people cannot afford to buy books for their children due the daunting pressures of trying to provide the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing for their families. Take your children to the library and also try to develop a relationship with the librarian; they can be an invaluable guide as to which books may interest your children since they know which books are borrowed more often and which ones are on the bestseller lists. If you have children who are not interested in reading the material you give them, try to find out what interests them. A colleague (who happens to be a librarian) explained to us how she motivated her nephew to start reading by finding out his passion for football and buying him football magazines. With time the nephew himself started bringing her magazines to buy for him, and thereby developing the interest to read. Now do not be too judgmental (within the limits of age-appropriateness) about the subject even if you may not find the subject that interests your child useful, remember the words of Maya Angelou “any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”

Another way to spur children’s interest in reading is to develop the habit of giving them reading material as gifts. Whatever fancy present you may have in mind for your dear child’s next birthday, an additional book in the package won’t hurt at all. It will give a great signal to them of the value you attach to reading. Also, do not worry too much about whether the child would be able to read and understand the whole book. Encountering new and difficult words are part of the learning process. The habit of reading cannot be developed overnight but with time persistence will lead to success in this most worthwhile of ventures.

By now, we can agree that the case for reading has been overwhelmingly made. In parting we would like to humbly extend a challenge to everyone – teachers, parents, government institutions, the private sector and others - to take ownership of Operation Creating Readers in their various capacities, as a productive investment in our “human capital for wealth creation” and sustainable development.

By Momodou Sabally and Jainaba Teeda Sarr

Jainaba Teeda Sarr is a banker and initiator of the “Creating Readers Project” and her husband Momodou Sabally is an Economist and author of two books: Jangi Jollof and Instant Success.

The authors can be reached at jaisabs@yahoo.com