Hannah Rosen

I'm Hannah Rosen. This is Radio Atlantic. And this week, the strange disappearance of the book-reading American student, what's causing it, and what we lose throughout our lives when we don't read books as teenagers. So is the idea like a book itself seems overwhelming?

What were some examples they gave you? Because I'm sure they're adjusting, like how they used to assign. Because when I was in college, I was assigned many, many, many books per class versus how they're assigning now.

What were some examples they gave you? Because I'm sure they're adjusting, like how they used to assign. Because when I was in college, I was assigned many, many, many books per class versus how they're assigning now.

What were some examples they gave you? Because I'm sure they're adjusting, like how they used to assign. Because when I was in college, I was assigned many, many, many books per class versus how they're assigning now.

I'll just call the course short works of American prose. Yeah.

I'll just call the course short works of American prose. Yeah.

I'll just call the course short works of American prose. Yeah.

And what were some of the reasons that came up for why students couldn't get into the books anymore?

And what were some of the reasons that came up for why students couldn't get into the books anymore?

And what were some of the reasons that came up for why students couldn't get into the books anymore?

Right. So you can't go from reading portions of books to suddenly reading like, you know, 20 novels for a course. That just doesn't make any sense.

Right. So you can't go from reading portions of books to suddenly reading like, you know, 20 novels for a course. That just doesn't make any sense.

Right. So you can't go from reading portions of books to suddenly reading like, you know, 20 novels for a course. That just doesn't make any sense.

Yeah. One thing that you're reporting evoked for me is, you know, not just like kids today, they don't read, but but a feeling of empathy for how much kids have to do, say, in high school to get into college and how much pressure there is on kids that I almost felt like, oh, telling them to read a novel.

Yeah. One thing that you're reporting evoked for me is, you know, not just like kids today, they don't read, but but a feeling of empathy for how much kids have to do, say, in high school to get into college and how much pressure there is on kids that I almost felt like, oh, telling them to read a novel.

Yeah. One thing that you're reporting evoked for me is, you know, not just like kids today, they don't read, but but a feeling of empathy for how much kids have to do, say, in high school to get into college and how much pressure there is on kids that I almost felt like, oh, telling them to read a novel.

You know, it's a luxury to read a novel when you've got a you know, you could also be like on the swim team or writing for the school newspaper or whatever. What do you think about that?

You know, it's a luxury to read a novel when you've got a you know, you could also be like on the swim team or writing for the school newspaper or whatever. What do you think about that?

You know, it's a luxury to read a novel when you've got a you know, you could also be like on the swim team or writing for the school newspaper or whatever. What do you think about that?

Right. Like you can imagine if a high school kid were to say, I actually don't want an internship this summer. I don't want to go to any camps. I don't want to work. I would like to spend my summer reading novels. It would almost land as an act of rebellion, you know, and people might question that. It wouldn't be seen as like an inherently valuable thing. It would make people nervous. Right.