The definition of a classic...

In this day and age, the amount of time people spend reading is probably very low. With so much emphasis on video games, movies, and the lure of shiny new toys that instantly entertain us, (as I post this via iPhone) no time is spent in search of the perfect book. Schools and literature programs try to rectify this by making their students read "classics". Now I'm all for making teenagers read, and actually use that lump of grey matter they're storing in their skulls, that's fine and dandy! My beef is with what is considered a classic. I know that a book is considered a classic when it has stood the test of time, and has some artistic quality. Thanks to this criteria, teens end up with a reading list consisting of Moby Dick, the Scarlett Letter, the last of the Mohicans, and other such literary monstrosities!

Now if you enjoyed the books I just listed, more power to you! You have an infinitely higher reach of patience, appreciation for the arts, and probably all around intelligence than I. And I completely respect you for it! You have read the book with what the author intended you to read it with, enjoyment! The point of the matter, however, is if you keep forcing books like these on your kids, they won't want to read! They don't enjoy it, and Hollywood is constantly telling them, "do what you love!" if you don't give them books they CAN love, they WILL stop reading.

Or, even worse, they'll start reading some of the trashy young adult novels I've had the misfortune of picking up. One such example consisted entirely of "texting talk". Thts right! Tlking lke ths is apparently grt! Well hey, at least you're getting them to read, right? Wrong. There are so many good, well-written books out there that they could be reading! For example, did you know that Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author of Tarzan, wrote a sci-fi novel in the 1800's? Did you know people read sci-fi in the 1800's? It was well-written, entertaining, easy to follow, but still made you think. You won't, however find it on any reading lists. It's almost as if people want kids to stop reading.

If you can't get past the fact that your kids need to be reading classics, maybe it's time to update what we consider a classic. Let's face it, you're making your kids read books that your grandparents probably didn't even enjoy! I highly doubt you enjoyed them, so why do you think your kid will? You don't have to listen to me, but I wish you would. Books have been such a big part of my life, I hate to see them fall.

All right, my rant is done. If you got this far, thank you for reading, and I wish you many good "reads" in the future!
-EmilyAnne