A book can be many things. It can be something that entertains or something that informs. A good book is more than just words recorded on a piece of paper, it is a rich tapestry that weaves a narrative that both engrosses the reader in its intricacies. However, as we move towards things that are more instantly gratifying like the TV and the internet, we find ourselves reading less, this is ultimately a serious issue as it could affect the level of creativity and intellect in our society in a negative way. We, The Comrads, genuinely believe that this problem should be dealt with quickly and properly in hopes of an increase in the number of active readers. Howbeit, the first question to ask is ‘how can we actually improve the reading habits of Malaysians?’ Our group has discussed and gathered some strategies that could potentially hike up the number of readers which we will be talking about in this write up.
CREATE
AWARENESS ABOUT AUTHORS
First and foremost, we truly believe that all sorts of educational institutions such as primary schools and universities should welcome authors to have a talk for the students. For example, invited authors could be brought to these educational institutions to speak about their recently published books and educate the students on what their books are about as well as the positives of reading as an initiative to hopefully grab the community’s attention to pick up their books and start reading. Through this strategy, we could possibly spark or refresh the interests to read within the community since the author could bring in an emotional and psychological value to them.
RUN
GOVERNMENT-ORGANIZED BOOK DRIVES
Besides bringing authors to educational institutions to speak, the Malaysian government should take the initiative to run a massive reading event for us Malaysians. We strongly believe that The Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Education and “Dewan Pustaka” specifically should work together to start a Read-a-thon which is essentially an event where Malaysians can gather to read books of different genres to suit their different likings and interest supplied by the government. By running this event for the general public, the government could set a new, positive and refreshed perspective towards this creative enhancing activity. This Read-a-thon event could also generate and motivate new readers to read more if it is set up in an enjoyable manner.
MAKE
BOOKS MORE ACCESSIBLE
Aside from the previous strategy mentioned, it would be a superb idea for the Malaysian Government to help out the community to purchase reading materials financially. We suggest the authority in charge to hand out cash vouchers to the locals which can be used to purchase strictly reading materials only once every few months. With this financial aid in courtesy of the government, it automatically rules out the excuse of the Citizens of Malaysia not being able to afford new books to read regularly.
MAKE
BOOKS MORE EXCITING FOR CHILDREN
Children are not interested in reading books these days as they have things such as video games and YouTube filling up their time. This is because books are two dimensional and young children like things that they can interact with. The way to make books more appealing to this demographic would be to make the books themselves more interactive by incorporating puzzles, pop up pictures, etc. Of course a major part is also played by parents being too lenient with children’s TV time. Parents should take an active role in instilling a love of literature in their children by doing things such as reading to them and providing them with the necessary incentives to read books.
DISTRIBUTE BOOKS IN UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS
People these days are often too connected to social media rather than enjoying a book without having to check their messages constantly or going on Facebook every ten minutes or so. it is hard for such people to truly enjoy a traditional book. This is why alternate ways of distributing books should be considered. Platforms such as Twitter or Facebook can be used to send parts of books out in short digestible chunks for such people. Another way of creating interest in books is to incorporate books with cinema and television so that the tie-in books need to be read to get the full experience of that movie or TV show.
Written by Kris and Shain
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