Reading is Not Optional

Walter Dean Myers, author of 104 children's and young adult books, knows that reading is not optional. He knows this from personal experience. He grew up as a foster child in New York City, watched his family disintegrate when an uncle was murdered, and dropped out of high school at age 17. But as Myers tried to deal with his troubles, he found hope in books. The books he read moved him away from his problems because he connected with the characters and their problems. Books allowed him to see situations resolved when life was presenting him with many unresolved issues. Reading helped him see that he could be okay.  

Now, as an author, Myers strives to create characters that young adults can identify with. He wants his stories to reflect their lives, validate their lives and give them hope. This often means that his books are gritty or harsh. In other words, they are real. He has written about teens in jail, in juvenile detention centers, in war. His 1988 award winning novel Fallen Angels, inspired by the death of his younger brother in the Vietnam War, has been banned in some schools because of its language and vivid portrayal of war. But just as Myers looked for hope in books as a teen, he wants his readers to find hope in his characters and in his books.

But regardless of the book (fantasy, science fiction, humor, a Walter Dean Myers book), Myers knows that children and young adults must read. He knows that more and more kids, especially those from poor and minority families, can't read. In fact, 85% of unwed mothers are illiterate,  60% of America's prison inmates are illiterate, and 85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems. So as the 2012 Library of Congress National Ambassador for young people's literature, Myers is promoting literacy and starting candid conversations about what he describes as "a real crisis." He is encouraging all of us to read and to become reading mentors; reading to children, neighbors, ourselves, pets, and friends. 

The Literacy Alliance also believes in hope for America's teens. Almost of our programs involve teens making a meaningful and fun connection with literature. This past Monday one of our volunteers visited the Seminole County Juvenile Detention Center to engage in a lively discussion of the value of reading aloud to children. The juvenile inmates were interested and opinionated on the subject. The program concluded with booktalks by the Literacy Alliance volunteer encouraging the teens to read an assortment of books which were donated to the detention center. Help us continue our work by participating in our September 8th fundraiser at Barnes & Noble.  Go to our website for more information. And by the way, who have your read to today?