Reading Matters

The End of Reading is Here by Rose Horowitch
The Atlantic, August 2026 issue

Two thousand years after the loss of the Library of Alexandria, knowledge acquired through deep study in print media is facing another crisis. Rose Horowitch takes readers of The Atlantic through a concise history of orality, literacy, and the dire “post-literate” digital age. She recounts the cries of impending doom when the novel, newspaper, and television critics sounded the alarm in generations past. But the statistics (and personal experience of many educators) in the current day are damning. Surveys on reading habits and time use are dismal. Literacy scores are declining among both adults and children. The Flynn effect (IQ scores rising between generations) is now reversing course. Now, we habitually decode thousands of words daily in short fragments that require limited attention or comprehension. The cognitive skills required and enriched through sustained effort in reading are eroding in our collective consciousness. Our current political state is capitalizing on this moment of diminished reasoning. There are holdouts, especially among teachers and in schools. When phones are banned, library book circulation increases significantly. Some students still find pleasure in the personal growth they experience through the concentration and reasoning required for reading and writing. The author’s personal experience with family modeling and inspiring teachers holds out a glimmer of hope for us in schools.

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