I’m not the greatest when it comes to being “up with social media.” I know of popular influencers, but I don’t listen to podcasts or subscribe to channels or anything like that. So, I would never know of this topic if it didn’t make it into mainstream media. Apparently, a huge social influencer named Alix Earle went on a podcast (could’ve been her own, but I wouldn’t know) and proclaimed that she had never read a book, with the exception of the exceptional Dr. Seuss. She called reading books a Gen Z thing. She wasn’t embarrassed about this either. She is wearing it like a badge of honor.
This statement of hers created so much debate on the internet, news media outlets, podcasts, etc. Forget about the fact that America has low literacy rates—I’m not sure how low, but I always hear about it, and that’s why so many foundations have been set up to promote literacy. I guess Alix is relying on her looks to get her through life—hope she looks like that ad me’ah v’esrim shanah. Because once the wrinkles, cellulite, loose skin, liver spots, and shrinking begin (yes, you lose an inch or so as you grow older), she may not be adored as she is now. Endorsements may not be flowing in; they may become a trickle or stop altogether.
Alix started a countrywide debate—do younger people read books other than textbooks? Does the younger generation know what they are missing by not reading—and I’m not talking about news or gossip websites? Many times, I can be found quoting a book, usually my favorite, To Kill a Mockingbird, or something from one of the series that I’m currently in the middle of. But how sad is it that our future would lose the lessons we’ve learned from books, such as character development and that the line between right and wrong isn’t so straight or black and white? What about the imagery that books provide us? I have a very vivid imagination, and so when I’m reading that one of my characters is in a battle to the death or overlooking a breathtaking cliff, I see it in my mind’s eye. Is it because electronics provide this generation with whatever they want whenever they ask for it that they can’t tolerate the time it takes to read a book? I’ve said it before and I’ll say/write it again: Sometimes I read the last page of a book first. This way, I can sleep better knowing that everything turns out as it should—or not as I thought, but maybe this ending is a better one in the long run.
Now I hear people on news programs, radio shows, and the very few podcasts that I do listen to talk about how those in the dating world don’t find it attractive when they find out the person they’re dating is a reader. Really? It’s not that I quote Harper Lee, J.D. Robb, or Nora Roberts on an everyday basis, but they do make my life a little more interesting. When I can grab two minutes or five minutes before bedtime or on a Shabbos afternoon, I enjoy being taken to another place. I take my mind off my world and enter someone else’s.
Is not reading a “turn-off” for some people? Do people really think less of those who read and aren’t constantly hooked into the 24/7 world of social media? Or do they see reading as less appealing than being constantly connected to social media?
I don’t remember my parents ever discussing a book. In fact, my father once joked that the last book he read was in high school, White Fang. But my father reads newspapers and magazines and, of course, seforim. Are those okay? Can we allow a magazine, but not a book or anything without pictures? I don’t sit around with my husband discussing books either (not even my own). And I don’t think we ever spoke about book reading on any of our dates. But now, just knowing that someone doesn’t read… it doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not judging, but it just feels odd. Many times, people refer to books—girls are looking for a “Mr. Darcy,” “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” (it was a book first), “You’re more like a Jo than a Meg.” Do any of these sound familiar?
I literally put my head in my hands when my daughter asked who Bugs Bunny was when she watched one of my IG videos. I get it. Videos and cartoons have changed since I was younger. The world of Hanna-Barbera isn’t as exciting as the animated series that are put out there for kids now (including Bluey). So, just like our favorite cartoon characters are becoming decrepit and need dusting off, is that the future for our strong protagonists and antagonists in books? Will people even know what protagonists and antagonists are if they aren’t reading books and when they forget what their tenth-grade English teacher taught them?
Will one of the new questions we have to ask references be, “Do they read books?” and, if so, “How many?” and also, “What genre?” To me, this is just something else the younger generation is missing out on. They hope to still be “making it” and earning money when they don’t have their looks to fall back on—which is what people pay to see. Personally, I don’t think anyone wants to know what these people think. They aren’t getting paid for their brainpower—but think about how much we learn from books without even realizing it! I am not condoning or praising Kim Kardashian in any way. I am not a fan, follower…. But at least she can fall back on her “law career” after the world stops caring about how she and her family live—and maybe Kendall can learn how to cut a cucumber safely by reading a manual.
I just feel like the next generation won’t have a chance to explore this wonderful world we had to explore as children if we weren’t allowed to watch television or it was raining and playing outside was canceled. It’s almost as if I’m mourning what they don’t know they’re missing out on. I want to make sure my daughter knows who Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are. I don’t want to know who Clavicular is and what he did to become famous. It took me a time or two to realize they weren’t referring to a bone when his name was mentioned.
I’m not saying that all social media is garbage and no good. But I don’t know why social media is taking the place of books or why it’s looked down upon if someone reads. It just boggles the mind. Thank goodness that reading altogether isn’t “out of style.” Or maybe it is. If that’s true, no wonder other countries and cultures surpass ours in many fields of study and research. Books may be boring, but they contain knowledge. Read the whole medical journal article and not just the abstract. I remember when I thought that CliffsNotes was cheating. But now we’re skipping books? I know that paper magazines and newspapers aren’t doing well and people like reading their news and gossip electronically. Seriously, I’d be more concerned if people stopped reading.
I just felt that I had to write and mention this. I hope this is not a trend that the frum world is taking from the secular world. But if it is—hopefully, this too shall pass.
Hatzlachah to you all.
Goldy Krantz is an LMSW and a lifelong Queens resident, guest lecturer, and author of the shidduch dating book “The Best of My Worst” and children’s book “Where Has Zaidy Gone?” She can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Goldy is an experienced dating coach offering private sessions. To inquire, contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..