Persuasive Essay On Why Reading Is Important

Kristen Saperstein
English 213
Why Read?
A question every single American is asking these days is, why read? Do you spend hours reading on the couch on the weekend or even on the weekdays? Or are you the type of person who goes shopping, plays video games, or hangs out with your friends with no thought of picking up a book? The truth is more than half the population of America do not think it’s necessary to read because they have better things to do, however they are wrong. Reading does matter, it helps you achieve one of the greatest things in life, knowledge. What ever you get from reading even if it’s just a new word, it is going to help you through the rest of your life so just know that reading is the right way to go.
Have you ever heard the saying you…

Change the word eat to read and you have yo are what you read. “You are what you read. If you read nothing, then your mind withers, and your ideals lose their vitality and sway.” says The New York Times. This quote remains true to this day because with the knowledge you receive from reading a book you be become a greater intellectual. The more you read, the more open you become in your thinking. We tend to view things differently as we gain knowledge about people, places and other peoples behavior. Books contribute to developing our awareness of people and the society around us because all novels are an extension of the authors experience and knowledge combined with imagination. Like in the book My Sister’s Keeper, we see how the author Jodi Picoult views cancer, and how she tried to recreate a true story of a girl with the struggle of living with cancer and her sister who can save her life. Many individuals tend to read books on subjects that interest us and unless you are open to new ideas, but even within that limited field of choice, you can always better yourself. When we read the right kind of books, especially the well-researched, well-written books we tend to…