Ask Not Why Your Kid Doesn't Read. . .
Ask What You Can Do About It.
I may be the bestselling author in the country these days, but I didn’t always love books.
In fact, I didn’t even like reading until I found myself in a mental institution. WORKING in a mental institution. (Summer job.)
I’d graduated from high school as a valedictorian, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t or didn’t read when I had to. I doubt I would have passed English class, much less gotten a good grade, if I hadn’t been able to trudge through Silas Marner.
But there I was after high school in a psychiatric facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts, (where, interestingly enough, some famous folks you may have heard of were patients, but I'm not telling) doing the night watch—which entailed sitting up all night making sure the patients didn’t attempt suicide—and they had a library with some really random books in it. And because I was bored out of my skull, and had a ton of time to kill, I started picking them up and leafing through them. And then I started reading one. And then another. And then another. And, before I knew it, I was picking books up even when I wasn’t on duty.
I think a lot of it had to do with me being in control of the situation. There was something about it being me choosing the books for myself that made them more palatable during than all those years of them being force-fed me by teachers. And, of course, a lot of it had to do with the books themselves.
I’m not going suggest you throw your just-reading child at the work of some of the French existentialists I found in that institution’s library, but way back then—as now—schools, for whatever reasons, often select books that just don’t work for kids.
And because kids often first—and sometimes only—experience books at school, this is really unfortunate. Because, as you know, if you have a bad experience with something, you tend not to want to try it again.
We humans are kind of smart like that.
But we’re not smart when we take a bad experience and over-generalize. Until that summer after high school, and simply because I hadn’t enjoyed one yet, I thought all books were stupid and boring.
And that wasn’t very bright of me because, as I later discovered, books can be the best, most addictive, educational, and door-opening entertainment in the whole world.
I expect we’re all on the same page when we say we’d rather see our kids reading a book than watching hours of television or playing mind-numbing video games—or out succumbing to peer pressure and doing things worse than that—but I’d of course suggest that most of the successful and happy people out there aren’t just able to read. They actually like reading, and do it on their own.
In the coming weeks and months I’m going to be sharing some examples of what I’m talking about here, tips about books that—unlike those your kids might be forced to read in the school curriculum—they actually might want to read, and other pieces of advice and hopefully wisdom I’ve picked up in my years as an author, father, and late-blooming reader.
Thank you for reading.
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so excited about your new blog
Reading for pleasure has almost become a lost pasttime to our younger generations. It's wonderful to see a renown author share insight on how to place that wonderful treasure in our children hands!
I'm very excited to get some tips on helping my children learn to read. Both their father and I are avid readers and are disappointed that our boys haven't yet learned to enjoy reading. Mr. Patterson is one of my favorite authors so I look forward to his insight!
I'm a fan -- and can't wait to hear your thoughts on the kids' books of the day!
oh my gosh.I think that you are great.I can't wait to pick up double cross.I am 35 years old and never read a book until i was 33.Can i tell you that because of along came a spider and when the wind blows I have read all of your books with a few exceptions.I am also in the two book clubs posted on your website.please write another max book.ALSO THINK ABOUT A SEQUEL TO CRADLE AND ALL.
Thank you for opening my eyes to reading.You should drop in on the book clubs.We all just adore your imagination.Keep on writing.
I'll be anxiously awaiting your insights into the kids list. I am a big fan, and thankfully all my children and now grandchildren are big readers, but it's always good to get ideas and inspiration from a favorite author.
I am thrilled to see you will have a blog on here and cannot wait to read it! I have spent many hours burying my face in your books and am highly anticipating the next one!
I'm so excited and look forward to reading your blog to get ideas!
I am looking forward to your tips to get children to read. I have yet to find the books my kids love to read.
When I read in your Newsletter that you were going to be on the TODAY'S show yesterday, I taped the show so i would not miss you. You are just as light and charming as you were the 1st time I saw you, too many years ago to tell, on Good Morning America. That was the beginning of my healthy addiction to you and your books. I have been reading your books for 10 years or so. And even at 58 I have read all of your "Maximun Ride" Series. My feeling has always been, "Age is a state of mind and I love the state my mind is in."
I loving reading- it is like living a different life or experience through words. I read several books at a time so I am never without adventure.
I hope one day to actually own your entire collect of work. In between your new releases I go back and pick up your older work.
Thanks for brightening my life and keep up the good work.
I just might be one of your biggest fans.
I just picked up on reading about 2 years ago and i just turned 40. I'm working real hard on my daughter to enjoy reading I think her first books they had to do reports on in school kind of deterred her from reading but i'm trying to find books a 14 year old would enjoy reading.
please keep morgan freeman as Alex Cross, I heard your interview were you said you were considering Jami Fox, while he is a good actor he does not have the"coolness" that Cross needs.I love your books but i think you got it right the first time with Morgan Freeman.
I started reading 2 years ago whilst on holiday, my Mum gave me 'along came a spider' to read, I really enjoyed it. I had never enjoyed a book so much before I read it in 2days. I was only 18 at the time, now I've reached 20 and enjoy reading James Patterson books, (especially Alex Cross). I agree that schools do not make reading interesting enough I read Shakespeare's merchant of Venice at 15 for my exams, this is far too difficult and put me off reading. I work with children myself now and try to make reading as enjoyable as i can, as many children are not interested and those that are are few and far between. I am looking forward to any ideas u may have.
I dicovered your blog by accident and am so glad I did. I am a retired college professor/volunteer librarian at an elementary school (pre-k thru 8th grade)and a great fan of yours. I look forward to your suggestions to interest kids to read. My son now,46 years old, wasn't interested in reading at 6th grade but a wonderful teacher suggested because he liked sports we should encourage him to read sports magazines instead of books. Today he reads just about everything he puts his hands on. It worked for him!
I'm 21 and as long as I can remember I was reading anything and everything. I first started with the Box Car Children, and then The Baby Sitter's Club, and just odds and ends all through school until a friend got me caught on James Patterson's books, which I can't put down now, and reread them because after a couple of months I forget what all happened and it still is a big surprise the second time I read it. My mom loves to read as well, and I got the love for reading from my mom's side. I recently tld my mom that she should read Judge & Jury while we were on vacation, and she didn't think she'd have enough time, but in the end she read the whole book within a week and loved it, and is asking me which book of his she should read next.
But I think reading is the best way to get rid of stress and it really relaxes me and helps me forget what's going on in my life at the moment and float off and let my imagination go wild.
I love, love, love 'When the wind Blows'. For me its up there with Lord of the Rings and Pride & Prejudice.
I'm an avid reader, and I have been since I picked up a small novelette of Shakespeare plays when I was ten from my mothers library.
My daughter (10)doesn't much like fiction but she loves science. How do we get her to read? We get her all the answers she would ever want in book form - or off the internet! Her reading, her spoken English her spelling are all the better for it!I also read poetry to her and her younger sister (8mths).
I believe having good books available in the house encourages children to one day pick up a book and read!
I'm not happy if I don't have another book ready to read before I finish the one I am ingesting. My mother was an avid reader and out of her 10 children, 8 of us are verocious readers! I have read nearly all your books and have truly enjoyed most of them. We have a book swap in my small rural community where when we finish a book, we take it to the local country store and share w/our reading neighbors. If we want the book back, we put your name in it, if not, it's fodder for anyone. Reading is such an integral part of my life and I always have a book in my bag while I'm waiting for doctor appointments, waiting for a baseball or football practice, ect. to be over. I also read myself to sleep; my favorite bed fellows are the book I am reading and my dog. Thanks for you great books which have entertained me over the years! fph
2 years ago at a convention, I was introduced to reading one of your books - I had always stayed away from anything that was a mystery - what a world you opened up for me - in that 2 years since, I had read everything that you had written. The day Double Cross came out, I bought it, went home - read it and went to bed.....wasn't going to put it down until I had finished it....I devour your books. thanks
Hi first just wanted to say you are by far my favorite author and I love that the past few years you have been coming out with so many books! I am 25 and I started reading like crazy in 2nd grade. I moved to Montreal over the summer and had no kids on my street. Since I was not yet in school I had nothing to do. My mom took me to the library and by the end of that year I was a 2nd grader reading high school books. My love of reading has carried through and I would rather read a book over watching tv anyday. I feel like it is my escape and I get so into the books I leave time and my normal life behind. There is no feeling like that and when I have kids I hope to transfer the love of books to them. Thanks for giving me an escape and for your amazing mind!! Oh btw I hope to see your new det. michael with all the kids in future books :-)
It's funny how iVillage prohibits spam, and yet, here is James Patterson spamming us.
This must be corporate approved spam, right?
I have to agree about the awful book selections by schools; I've been an avid reader all my life, but always hated anything assigned in school - some of which I've re-read since and loved. BTW, do you know about LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com)? (I notice your author page doesn't have the little yellow button indicating you use it) A fun (and useful) way to share your library with the world.
Thank you for the awesome stories. I've read all of them so far, and am working on the new ones now. My parents started me young, my dad would have me read the sports articles in the news paper to him while he was getting ready for work. My husband knows the go to gift is always a James Patterson book. I think the Angel Experiment books are a great way to get young adults to read. My imagination goes wild while reading those. I plan on starting my son out early and reading with him to help him enjoy reading as much as I do.