Ask a teenager how they feel about reading, and you’ll likely get an eye roll, a groan, or a halfhearted, “I don’t like books.”
But let’s be clear: the problem isn’t reading. The problem is school. More specifically, the problem is the way schools teach reading—by force-feeding students a tired, outdated list of books they don’t care about and then dissecting them to death.
For years, many English teachers have operated under the belief that students must read certain books because they are “important.” Romeo and Juliet, The Scarlet Letter, A Tale of Two Cities, Lord of the Flies, and To Kill a Mockingbird are just a few examples of sacred texts that many schools refuse to move on from. And while some of these books may hold literary merit, let’s be honest: some do absolutely nothing to foster a love of reading in the average 14-year-old.
The Problem with Forced Reading
The issue isn’t just which books are assigned—it’s the very idea that students have no choice.
Imagine if adults were told they could only watch a specific list of “culturally significant” black-and-white movies and that anything else was unworthy. Most people wouldn’t suddenly develop a passion for classic cinema; they’d stop watching movies altogether. That’s exactly what happens to kids in school.
When students are forced to read books they find boring, inaccessible, or irrelevant, they learn to associate reading with frustration and drudgery. Instead of seeing books as sources of knowledge, entertainment, or escape, they see them as work—something to be endured.
And then there’s the way these books are taught. Schools have a special talent for draining the life out of even a decent novel. Instead of letting students experience a book naturally, they break it into tiny, joyless pieces: vocabulary lists, comprehension questions, forced discussions about symbolism, and rigid five-paragraph essays. There is no room for curiosity, no space for personal connections—just an endless series of assignments designed to make sure students “get it.”
Kelly Gallagher, author of Readicide, describes this as “the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools.” He argues that English classes are so focused on analyzing books that they forget to let students actually read them. Worse, schools send the message that reading “fun” books—mysteries, fantasy, graphic novels—is somehow less valuable than trudging through a 300-page novel written in 19th-century English.
What If We Just Let Kids Read?
If the goal is to create lifelong readers, then forcing kids to slog through outdated books isn’t just ineffective—it’s counterproductive. Research consistently shows that students who have a choice in their reading develop stronger literacy skills, read more frequently, and, most importantly, actually enjoy it.
This doesn’t mean schools should abandon all structure. Teachers can still introduce students to a variety of genres, authors, and perspectives. But instead of shoving the same “classics” down their throats year after year, why not offer a range of books and let students choose?
Some educators are already doing this. Teachers like Donalyn Miller (The Book Whisperer) have shown that when students are trusted to pick their own books, they read more—and they read better. Instead of seeing reading as a chore, they start to see it as something enjoyable, even necessary.
It’s time to face reality: the way schools teach reading is broken. If we want young people to love books, we have to stop making reading a miserable experience. That means moving away from rigid, outdated curriculums, giving students real choices, and, most importantly, trusting them to find books they actually want to read. Otherwise, we’re just setting them up to hate reading forever.
