“The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” – Albert Einstein
Pay-per-read
On the plane, I read an article by a mother who was so desperate to get her 12-year old daughter to read a book, any book, please Lord just a book, that she paid her daughter $100 to do this over the summer holidays. Said daughter dutifully picked a trashy YA novel, finished it and cashed in her reward. But, the mother announced proudly, her daughter actually enjoyed the book so much that she picked up and read the sequel of this book and required no payment for this. The article was unclear whether a third book had been picked up or whether the daughter had gone back to her previous habits. TikTok videos? YouTube make-up tutorials? Meth? The article wasn’t clear, I’m afraid.
Whatever smug judgement I initially felt soon gave way to immense sympathy. Poor parents whose children live in an age of immediate gratification, and who are desperate to transmit a very fragilized activity to their progeny. Maybe bribery is the last recourse to tearing children away from the clutches of the Tok. And doesn’t the story prove that you just need them to read a book - one book! - to maybe kinda perhaps pick up the habit so isn’t that first book worth an initial outlay of $100? I don’t know what to think about how to motivate future generations to read more.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Lit With Charles to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.