I always knew, at least intuitively, that reading books is good for you — even the “guilty pleasure” books like thrillers, love stories and children’s books that you loved long ago.
These “fun” books can make you laugh, feel smarter, and inspire you to get off the couch and even see the rest of the planet. And that’s just the beginning – especially for youngsters.
Recently, our education director flagged a study that showed that those who started reading for pleasure at a young age enjoyed long-lasting benefits of measurably stronger brain development, which led to all kinds of wonderful outcomes, including a boost in academic achievement.
The 2023 study, published in Psychological Medicine, compared brain scans from 10,243 adolescents. Half of the cohort began reading at an early age (notably when their brains were still developing) while half read very little for fun or not at all.
By the time they reached their early teens, the active readers were more likely to feel less stressed or depressed. They tended to be more attentive, broke fewer rules in school, and were less likely to antagonize their classmates. They statistically performed better on cognitive tests, not only in English but in all subjects. These students also tended to spend less time in front of screens or on phones in early adolescence. These results held true, no matter the child’s socioeconomic status.
Team members of the Book Worms get their first look at the “battle” books.
The optimum number of reading hours was 10 a week.
Because the NWS mission is to instill the joy of reading and writing in area youth, we feel we’re on track. We cover a lot of ground from hosting an annual Battle of the Books (a reading competition that engages 370 fourth and fifth graders) to teaching free creative writing classes virtually, in-person and in the classroom, to writing college admission essays, to rewarding outstanding writing and awarding eight college scholarships a year.
Speaking of the joy of reading, we’re hosting three terrific events during the holidays, starting with U-M psychology professor Ethan Kross on Nov. 21. He will be talking about “Chatter,” his book about how to tame the pesky inner voice in your head. Dana Black, a professional moderator, is the guest host.
Next up is a book event with the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center that intends to gently increase community awareness of child sex abuse. The author is Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, who wrote “Fighting Words,” a young adult novel about two young girls whose lifelong bond is frayed by the actions of their mother’s predator boyfriend. The event is Dec. 4 with guest host Beth Milligan, the lead reporter for The Ticker.
And just for fun, we added a third event before the year closes out: “The Lions Finally Roar” by acclaimed author Bill Morris. His Dec. 18 event is hosted by Keith Gave, author and former sports reporter.
Morris said his first title idea was “Natural Born Losers,” a recounting of how the Lions’ management failed the team decade after decade. But he changed direction in 2022 when the team started winning, and the Lions haven’t let him down yet.
Morris now lives in New York City but grew up watching the games every Sunday with his dad, a born storyteller who used to spin stories of the Lions and the Ford family. (His dad worked in public relations for Ford Motor Company). Those stories became the backbone for his new book, which weaves the Lions story with the histories of the National Football League, the auto industry, and the city of Detroit.
Still the new title, “The Lions Finally Roar” was a little risky, as in, what if the Lions slipped back to their never-ending losing streak. Morris agreed, saying he spent many sleepless nights worrying.
“I was really anxious when the season first began. The book came out right before the season kickoff. They didn’t look that great, but they won in overtime. They lost the next game but then won seven in a row!”
Morris said the suspense never ends. He had just watched a game at the Lions Bar in New York City, where he now lives, and they were down the whole game.
“They were getting their butts kicked [by the Houston Texans]. I left the bar in disgust. It looked like they were going down. And then my dearly beloved Lions kicked a field goal with four seconds left. They’ve become the talk of football, and I couldn’t be happier. People love a winner!”
Please join us for this exciting event and wear your Lions gear!
This post was originally published on here
