It’s time to begin binging on books

Long, mahogany banquet tables covered in delicious entrees, luscious desserts and self-filling cups are packed with chatting students donned in flowing black robes. Stately arches hold up the ceiling of the dining hall, which resembles the starry night above. At the front, the headmaster, an old man with a large white beard and half-moon glasses, gives a speech to begin the school year.

This is the world of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, undoubtedly one of the best sets of young adult fiction series around the globe. The unfortunate truth, however, is that many high schoolers have not visited the beautiful, intricate world of Harry Potter, or that of any other fictional story, for years.

As teens become more and more engrossed in academics and extracurricular activities, they have less and less time to spend on recreational reading. Many students find this loss insignificant: Who cares about losing out on leisure reading if it means getting better grades? We already spend plenty of time reading articles and curricular novels on Cliffnotes two minutes before a test.

However, reading for school is accompanied by a large amount of additional work. With every chapter, students have to take notes and analyze what each detail means. This too often makes it schoolwork merely something to get out of the way before moving on to the next assignment. At that point, students are not reading for pleasure; they’re just studying. And there’s a big difference between studying and having fun.

Reading in their free time allows people to simply sit and enjoy the story. There is no anxiety about finishing the next pages and the work tied to it. Readers can truly focus on soaking in the writing, and not obsessive note taking for a later grade.

Reading for fun also comes with a host of benefits, including some that may actually contribute to students’ grades and ability to do well on tests.

In addition, recreational reading comes with substantial psychological value. In the article “The Benefits of Reading for Pleasure”, writer Jeffrey D. Wilhelm details the various benefits that reading provides.

For example, when engrossed in a book’s world, readers develop the ability to engage with others. Relating the story to one’s own life helps develop a growth mindset and a more optimistic worldview.

Some argue that spending time studying is much more important than attaining an optimistic worldview. Well, maybe if students read more, they might not need to study as much.

While reading, students passively acquire knowledge. Maybe it’s not the solution to that disgusting quintic your math teacher told you to solve, but it is important knowledge all the same. Specifically, readers are exposing themselves to new ideas, voices and words.

On top of this, reading for fun stimulates students’ creativity, helping them develop their own voice that can be applied to both their fiction and nonfiction writing.

The exposure to a variety of books gives students the resources to experiment with different writing techniques and manners of approaching a topic. This can be useful when writing an essay; changing the perspective or purpose of the piece can make it stand out.

Reading in one’s free time can also be a great way to escape academic stress. "Reading for Stress Relief" published by the University of Minnesota reveals that reading is a highly effective way to relax, capable of reducing stress by up to 68 percent.

When reading a novel, students are transported to a different world, where APUSH reading quizzes, AP Biology tests and “The Crucible” literary analysis essays don’t exist.

With all this in mind, we think it’s high time to pick up that tattered Harry Potter book that has been sitting untouched on your shelf since you were 7.

Read for the reading’s sake, not to pass an English quiz. Read because you enjoy it, not because your mom forces you to. And most importantly, read because you want to be a better person.