The article “Not Reading” by Stephen Henighan starts with an author’s appeal to the reading; he states that reading the book can provide essential insight to the reader. Moreover, the book creates an alternative reality, which the reader finds attractive to follow. The author emphasizes the role of reading in shaping the world; however, the article also narrates the process of reading, which can swallow the person. It is interesting to look at how Henighan sees modern reading and how it differs from natural. Previously, many changes and fundamental manifestations were axiomatically influenced by writings. Henighan also claims that he saw many students reading books in his university years. However, the author says that the era of natural reading is over; smartphones and other devices substituted books. The author argues that all events that we read in any source flow past us, and everything we do on our gadgets is not reading.
The article makes me think about the value of a real book. Henighan states that books used to be the source of social changes. For instance, books “inspired acts of rebellion” after society witnessed secularization (Henighan, 2021, p. 1). It is impossible to disagree with the author when he says that all information now is “equally available” for people to acquire (Henighan, 2021, p. 2). I agree that nowadays information has become easy to get and share, and it undermines its value. The natural book is undervalued; we read something, but we are not into it. “No one remembers forever characters encountered in an ebook” is a powerful thought that reflects the essence of modern reading (Henighan, 2021, p.3). For example, recently, I have read the article online, and it was fascinating and easy to grasp. However, the next day I forgot what I read, and it felt sorrowful. The paper echoes in each of us because we live in the era of fast-food information.
Reference
Henighan, S. (2021). Not Reading. Web.