Reading is still the key and central to an intellectual life, although it does not translate into wealth directly. However, reading enriches one’s life profoundly. I wish to see more Thais loving to read. When I sit on the bus or walk on the streets, I notice so many people staring blankly into the air, or playing phones or chatting casually, but rarely reading. This places a limit on developing knowledge economy. Lacking motive for reading also reflects in schools, when fewer students are self initiative on reading something of their own. As I Chinese I have no right to blame Thais as China is perhaps even worse: even a college district like Yangpu of Shanghai cannot generate enough readership to sustain a bookstore. That’s a shame. Loving to read cannot be taught in school. It has to come from parents.
As hard as Seattleites scrunched up over their coffee and Jonathan Raban novels, they couldn’t prevent Washington, D.C.’s legion of wonks from stealing the title of 2011’s Most Literate City in America.
This is the District’s second year on top of the heap. Seattle, however, has been more consistent, coming in first or second place every year since 2005.
jwuventure 