When was the last time you read something that wasn't an assigned reading for class? Matter of fact, when was the last time you read something in general without finding a chapter summary online?

College is all about skimming or getting by while doing the very least amount of work as possible. I get it, professors pile on work and readings. When you are asked to read fifty plus pages per class per night, finding a way around it all is more than reasonable. However, this should not stop, hinder, discourage, or prevent you from reading for fun.

If you find a topic or subject interesting, there is bound to be a book on it no matter how strange or far-fetched it is. Becoming immersed in a novel or non-fiction topic can suck up hours of time. It is enjoyable, thought-provoking, and can make you smarter. Reading a wide variety of genre will help you increase your vocabulary, diversify your sentence structure, strengthen your writing, and challenge your opinions. Let alone gathering information about topics!

Just like a show or a movie, fiction novels tell a story and allows you to dive into a world of fantasy providing entertainment. Well developed characters come out of the page and can become your friend on the page. Fiction provides an outlet for the struggle of the everyday real world while mirroring societal or individual problems. Fiction pieces and characters can help readers work through their own internal issues.

So why are we throwing books aside, refusing to read anything besides what is required to get through college? We turn towards Netflix and social media to kill downtime, but why? Why not pick up a book, read primary sources, or peer-reviewed articles on topics you enjoy for fun?

Watching Netflix and scrolling through social media are passive forms of entertainment. Why not actively engage in a book that is mentally stimulating?

We need to pick up a book, enter a bookstore and browse for an hour or two. We need to stop killing books.

As a society, we have a responsibility to be properly informed and this starts with reading. Reading does NOT mean reading opinion or biased pieces from Fox, CNN, Breitbart, MSNBC or any other news outlet. Read first-hand reports, scientific articles, historical journals, fiction, and books.

Reading also helps people connect to each other. It is easier to understand other people's situations and opinions by reading fiction stories from various points of view and articles. Reading has been associated with a stronger ability to understand other's emotions.

Let's stop kill books and read. You already read this, so what's stopping you now?