Dewalt and Pignone (2005) argue that literacy is life-saving in the most concrete of senses, as it provides adults with a better understanding of, and access to, healthcare: “Patients with inadequate literacy have less health-related knowledge, receive less preventive care, have poorer control of their chronic illnesses, and are hospitalized more frequently than other patients” (p. 463). A longitudinal study from Bavishi et al. (2017) found that book readers have a 23-month survival advantage over nonbook readers at the point of 80% survival, and a 20% reduction in risk of mortality over 12 years of follow-up. They put it simply: “The benefits of reading books include a longer life in which to read them” (p. 44). Books are not only good for our bodies. The empathy they build—along with social perception and emotional intelligence—provides immeasurable benefits to society. Perhaps the greatest hallmark of our humanity is our ability to understand the thoughts and decisions of others. There is a clear link between regular reading and social-emotional development and awareness. The greater access children have to books in school and at home, the more likely they are to cultivate an appreciation for diverse experiences and develop empathy for others (Cleaver, 2020). “Understanding others’ mental states is a crucial skill that enables the complex social relationships that characterize human societies,” write Kidd and Castano (2013), adding that “reading uniquely engages the psychological processes needed to gain access to characters’ subjective experiences” and increases our understanding of the world around us and how others act within it. It’s difficult to succeed in life if you can’t read well. And it’s very difficult to get good at reading if you don’t have books to practice with at home. There may be no better way to impact children’s overall futures than by making sure they have a steady supply of quality books to read in their homes (Noonan & Fox, 2020, p. 3).
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