Reading and wellbeing

PA S S P O RT TO A B E T T E R WO R L D - THE PLEASURE AND VALUE OF LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE Yvonne Roberts explains the pleasure of the written word

One in six people has difficulty reading. The reasons why are numerous. They may include too little attention from an adult in those first early years; a problem with eyesight that isn’t detected; a childhood hearing condition, such as “glue ear”; and a difficulty with words that the ancient Greeks called dyslexia and that too many times is misunderstood as signalling that a boy or girl is “dim” or stupid.

Albert Einstein, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise and Jamie Oliver are among a number of famous people diagnosed as dyslexic. Stupid they are not.

Short-sightedness, blurred hearing, the lack of support to tackle the alphabet when you were a toddler – all of these are challenges that can be overcome in different ways, no matter what your age.

If you can’t read and someone else is reading this aloud to you now, it doesn’t mean you won’t read in future. You can start by looking for the support that suits you, and opening a book. Literacy, the ability to read and write, is often seen as a measure of whether a person is “thick”. That’s wrong. Often, to get by in life pretending to be able to read requires creativity, intelligence, skill and determination. Tap into that determination, and you are already on your way.

You might say: “I’ve done all right so far. Why try to learn now? What if I fail? What if everybody discovers that I’m a grown-up who can’t do what a seven-year-old can do? How embarrassing and humiliating is that?”

The reply is that it’s worth taking the risk. Everybody knows somebody who has

difficulty with books and magazines and enjoyment; it reveals fresh horizons; it comics and the internet. The lack of literacy can motivate and bring hope. It can offer is widespread, so you are not alone. Set temporary escape from a grim situation and against the risk, the rewards are enormous. provide insight, empathy and knowledge

Reading matters for practical reasons. It denied if you don’t open that book or pick means a woman is self-reliant. She can read up a magazine. Reading casts a spell; it letters, fill in forms, help with her children’s unlocks our imagination; it encourages us homework, navigate the internet, stand as to believe things can be different; it inspires an equal with those who would otherwise us to make a difference. Reading is a good choose to exploit or bully her because they thing – so why deny yourself something know what is on the page and she doesn’t. good, and free?

It matters because the ability to read When you’ve finished reading this, means access to information – which is we hope you will start writing. Send us why libraries are so important. Information your ideas, thoughts, poems, short stories increases knowledge and helps us to on anything and make better choices. everything, including

Reading and writing the (occasional) also matters for magical reasons. The Reading “Reading pain of learning how to read and the joy of Agency is a charity that inspires people brings enjoyment, embracing both fiction and non-fiction so, to read and share their enjoyment of hope, escape and no matter what your circumstances, the reading, “because everything changes when we read”. Four years ago, Neil it’s free – so why deny yourself?” world becomes a much, much bigger place (Freepost address on the inside back cover). Gaiman, the playwright, Albert Einstein, physicist writer, master of science fiction and genius, was asked once and graphic novelist, gave a lecture how we could make our children for the Reading Agency. It was called, “Why intelligent. He said: “Read them fairytales. our future depends on libraries, reading and If you want them to be more intelligent, daydreaming”. He said: “Fiction can show read them more fairytales.” you a different world...Once you’ve visited So, in that spirit, once upon a time, other worlds…you can never be entirely a woman who had always stumbled over content with the world that you grew up in. written words, picked up this magazine and, And discontent is a good thing: people can... at her own pace, began to learn to read. improve their worlds, leave them better, leave Eventually, she was able read this issue cover them different.” to cover – a very happy ending.

Reading, in other words, provides