Why Should You Read?
I've noticed that people (especially minorities) don't read at all. Why? Is it boring? You're out of school, so you don't have to read anymore? It's a shame, because reading exercises your brain more than television, movies, or videogames.
By reading, you naturally expand your vocabulary since you'll come across words you don't normally use. You're exposed to different writing styles and sentence structures. That, combined with the expanded vocabulary, you'll eventually be able to better communicate your thoughts and ideas to other people. Not only that, but you also use your imagination a lot more. When the author describes things like the scenery, you can picture it yourself. You also start to analyze things more, trying to predict where things are going, or form your opinion when an ethical situation comes up.
Well, at least that's what I have personally experienced. I've always liked reading books since I was in middle school. There were several times throughout school where in English class we were taught a word I had already a pretty good idea of what it meant- only because I had read it in some book on my own. Now I'm not saying I'm a genius, I'm just giving you guys an example.
One comment I have heard more than once is "Oh, I rather watch the movie" when someone comments on a popular book that has been turned into a movie. And I'm sure you've heard more than once that the book is always better than the movie. I agree 100%, but then there's people (that don't read) that say it's bullshit. Honestly, when have you heard someone say that they read the book and watched the movie, and that they think the movie is better? It's bullshit. I know I usually have some strong opinions, but I always back it up:
Why the Book is Better
When you read a book, you are essentially reading the definitive version of the author's story. The pacing, the character development, everything, is presented to you the way the author intended. You imagine the whole thing in your head, you put the face to the characters, and you imagine how things unfold.
The problem with movie adaptations is that what you end up seeing is the director's and producer's version, not the author's. The author is hardly ever involved with the movie as much as he should be. That is the first of a list of possible fuck-ups. Next, it's the actors. Each one has the potential to fuck up the movie with a bad performance. There'll be many times when the action on screen is not the same as described in the book. It doesn't have the emotion or significance behind it, and that would be a fuck-up by the director. Not only that, they also have to cut the whole thing short to fit under a run-time of less than 2 and a half hours. It takes several hours to read a book, they can't possibly fit it all in that amount of time. They do this by cutting the "unnecessary" parts of the story. Worst of all, they like to add their personal touch to the story, like adding a character (bad) or cutting one out (worse). Actually, the worst thing is when they completely change the ending. What the fuck is all that about? Then when the movie turns out to be a disaster, people that read the book get pissed off, and the people that didn't read it think "damn, what a sorry ass book."
Okay, enough ranting. What I'm trying to get at is that you should read something. Anything. Fiction, biographies, documentaries, history, how-to books... open your mind. Pick up a book on Mexican History to see where you came from. How about a Photoshop book to perfect your photo editing skills? Shit, I learned how to code HTML by reading one of those "HTML in 24hrs" books.
I remember when I played "Halo" on the Xbox and thought it had a pretty cool story. Then they released a book ("The Fall of Reach") that detailed the story that led to the events in the game. It was pretty dope. Some may not not like it as much, but it was something that I found interesting. It's all about reading stuff that appeals to you.