How can we have an educated electorate if people aren't reading. This is a drive to get literature back in people's lives and have a public discussion on issues that are in this particular book.

Personally, I think it does help, that it makes a beneficial difference, but the scientific literature on the subject is very messy,

The test of literature is, I suppose, whether we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it

The test of literature is, I suppose, whether we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it

So I kept reading, just to stay alive. In fact, I'd read two or three books at the same time, so I wouldn't finish one without being in the middle of another -- anything to stop me from falling into the big, gaping void. You see, books fill the empty spaces. If I'm waiting for a bus, or am eating alone, I can always rely on a book to keep me company. Sometimes I think I like them even more than people. People will let you down in life. They'll disappoint you and hurt you and betray you. But not books. They're better than life.

The ability to read becomes devalued when what one has learned to read adds nothing of importance to one's life.