Skylar+R’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

America needs to read more!

I'm going to start off by asking a question. How many of you enjoy reading, outside of school? Well, since you're AmEx students, you should be raising your hands. But for those of you who didn't raise them, my speech is to tell you that reading shouldn't seem like a chore or something that you feel forced to do. I know not many of us enjoyed reading The Scarlet Letter, especially over summer (myself included), but as I reread it a couple of times, I actually ended up enjoying it.

Ever since I could remember, I know that I've always enjoyed to read, maybe because reading takes you to a different world, and sends you on an adventure that lasts for several more books. Or maybe it's because someone was given the ability and talent to from words together that create sentences, which leads to paragraphs, and manages to get you hooked from the first page. I've always admired authors, because they have such a wonderful talent. I've always wanted to write a book, but since I'm a pretty crappy writer, I'll just stick to reading them.

In my free time, I'm either reading, rearranging my books, buying books, or making a list of books to read. I only enjoyed EDA freshman year because we were able to read at the beginning of class. I remember walking down the street almost every day to the Wright Library and getting at least 6 or so books. One of my fondest memories is of when my Abuela used to visit, and she would take me down to the library, and we would sit there for hours reading, and then leave carrying a bagful of books. This year with AmEx and Honors Physio, I didn't get a lot of freetime to read, because I was balancing basketball practice and games and homework, so the little time that I did have was used to sleep and go on my phone. So one of my goals this summer is to read as many books as possible, and since I'll be volunteering at E.P. Foster, it shouldn't be too hard.

When people think of reading, the first thing that they picture is an introvert and antisocial person, or as Logan calls them, "nerds". But reading can improve your vocabulary, because the more you read, the more words you'll come across, and the smarter you'll sound. What's wrong with being smart? And while it seems like you don't see many people reading an actual books these days, on average, people across the world spend about 6.5 hours a day reading. Reading is important and vital in growing up because reading books out loud to children stimulates their imagination and helps them in understanding the world. It also helps children develop language ans listening skills. There are many more benefits to reading, as lifehack.org shares that "staying mentally stimulated can slow the process of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer's and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power". Reading is also a great stress reliever. Whenever I'm mad or not in a good mood, I like to lock myself in my room and read for a couple of hours. One book later, I feel way better. Reading is not only educational and beneficial, but it is a great way to destress and unwind.

Reading can shape your personality, because we aren’t all born with just one. As we get older, it can change, and reading is one of the ways that we can change it. According to researchers from University of Toronto, reading can change your personality traits. So if you read romance novels, you’re likely to promote empathy. But by reading any genre, it can make people more empathetic and understanding, and it encourages readers to notice their own emotions and and behaviors and makes them open to new experiences.

Has anyone ever wondered how long it takes to read a book? No? No one? Well I'll tell you anyways. You can estimate how long it would take the average reader to finish by multiplying the word count by the average person's reading speed, 300 words per minute. So if you wanted to read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it would take you about 9 hours and 14 minutes.

That's a long time reading just one book, and as this generation is moving towards technology, it seems that fewer and fewer people are reading and are instead focused on their phones and computers. According to Hackernoon.com,"Americans in 2017 spend over 4 hours a day on their phones". 4 hours! That's roughly 120 hours a month spent scrolling through Twitter and liking your friends' pictures on Instagram. Imagine how many books you could be reading with that time. If you cut the amount of time you spend on your cellphones in half, that's two hours on your phone, and two hours reading a book. In the America I want to grow old in, I would like to see teenagers and adults turning off their cellphones and closing their computers and opening a book. After hearing me say this, a few of you might be wondering, "why is she telling us to spend less time on our phones when she spent her lunches watching Grey's Anatomy and then Gilmore Girls in chemistry?" Well, this year, there has been very little time for that, and I now only watch television on the weekends.

There's a reading genre for every person out there, and whether you enjoy classical literature, poetry, biographies, or even fashion magazines, there's something out there that will capture you curiosity and imagination. So I ask that this summer you step away from your phone or computer for a little while, crack open a book, and unwind. And for those of you who still don't enjoy reading, as J.K. Rowling said, "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book".