Why People Should Read Books

It is a disappointment that people read books less often in these days of widespread
technological reliance. Books were the primary source of intellectual entertainment just a
hundred years ago, but with the invention of radio, television, cinematography, and most
recently, the Internet and computer games, it seems that reading books is no longer a popular
leisure activity. However, I believe that books are an irreplaceable part of our lives, and the role
that masterfully-written books play in the personal growth and development of a particular
person throughout one’s life is a remarkable one. Books directly expand our consciousness of
how we live and where we live, enrich our power to express ourselves, and supply us with
inspiration in a way that other mediums cannot compete with.
Books expand our knowledge and conception of the world around us. One may argue
that films and TV documentaries do that too, but I believe that books are a much better
alternative, since they allow each reader to experience the same story using one’s own
imagination. When a hundred people watch a film or a TV show, they see the same content—
whatever the director and the producer wish to show. Books are different. The experience
achieved through reading is richer and more personal, since the same description and the same
word choice will result in as many different interpretations as there are readers. We are all
unique, and books allow us to experience whatever is narrated in the light of our own personal
values, through our ideas and our imagination.
In addition, books enrich our vocabulary, introduce us to new notions, and offer a wider choice
of words to us. With every book we read, we become more intelligent. Even reading one
seemingly more primitive pulp fiction book per month can enrich one’s personal vocabulary with
dozens of new words, help us build more concise sentences on our own, and express oneself
better, make one’s speech more intelligent and sophisticated. Watching certain TV programs
and documentary films can also widen one’s vocabulary, but hardly as effectively as books do,
since reading operates with both more sophisticated visual and audio (if reading aloud)
receptors. Moreover, our imagination reproduces mental pictures of what we are reading about,
so a new word automatically links to a certain image and a particular feeling that it relates to.
Therefore, reading books is a wonderful tool when it comes to learning and developing one’s
vocabulary at any age.
Books are a fantastic source of inspiration. Unlike fine art, architecture, or travelling, books help
us create our own mental illustration for what we read on paper. In a way, books make us all
artists and creators of our own mental cartoons, movies, or illustration collections. Every image
we create ourselves is automatically allotted a certain emotion, whether a simple or a more
complicated one. Every mental image that a written word projects is vibrant with feelings and
emotions. This is what makes books powerful and memorable. Books are an endless source of
inspiration and motivation to become a better person.

I am certain that creating a system of symbols and eventually an alphabet, words, and
books was the greatest series of inventions of humankind. The books I am talking about
are classics, those that do not have an expiration date and will be priceless for any
generation. They will continue sparking new ideas, inspiring new deeds, and enriching
the lives of every generation to come. I am positive that books will eventually regain
their popularity with today’s youth, since unlike the popular kinds of entertainment in
fashion today, books are those roots to which people will go back, in search of the
motivation, inspiration, and aspiration to find the true meaning and value of life.