America The Book

[SuperHeroTights]

has anyone read America The Book by Jon Stewart? I am currently reading it and it is the funniest thing I have ever read!

[buttmunch]

I've read it. Really good except that they screw up the difference between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries (Scandinavia=Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Nordic countries=those three plus Finland and Iceland).

[ourmaninBusan]

That title is almost a contradiction in terms. The USA is proof
that a high standard of living is not correlative to a high standard
of literacy.

Consider these collected stats from Dan Poynter, of The Self-Publishing
Manual fame:

Who is Reading Books (and who is not)

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.

58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.

42% of college graduates never read another book.

80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.

70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

57% of new books are not read to completion.
--Jerrold Jenkins.
http://www.JenkinsGroup.com

Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.

63% of adults report purchasing at least one book during the previous three-month period. (Most were probably exaggerating).
--Bookselling This Week, November 10, 1997.
http://news.bookweb.org/

53% read fiction, 43% nonfiction. The favorite fiction category is mystery & Suspense, 19%.
--Publishers Weekly, May 12, 1997, page 13.
http://www.PublishersWeekly.com

Of the top fifty books, fiction outsells nonfiction about 60% to 40%. Fiction peaks in July at 70% but nonfiction reaches almost 50% in December.
--USA Today, April 30, 1999.
http://www.USAtoday.com

55% of fiction is bought by women; 45% by men.
--Publishers Weekly, May 12, 1997, page 13.

Each day, people in the US spend 4 hours watching TV, 3 hours listening
to the radio [not an iPod?]and 14 minutes reading magazines.
--Veronis, Suhler & Associates investment bankers
http://www.veronissuhler.com

70% of Americans haven't visited a bookstore in five (5) years.
--Michael Levine, June 2002
http://www.LevinPR.com

Customers 55 and older account for more than one-third of all books bought.
--2001 Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing by the Book Industry Study Group,
http://www.bisg.org

People reduced their time reading between 1996 and 2001 to 2.1 hours/month.
2001: per capita spending on books per month was $7.18.
--Publishers Weekly, May 26, 2003
http://www.PublishersWeekly.com

Only 32% of the U.S. population has ever been in a bookstore.
--David Godine, Publisher.

The time Americans spend reading books.
1996: 123 hours
2001: 109 hours
--Veronis, Suhler & Associates investment bankers
http://www.veronissuhler.com

The mean age of book buyers
1997: Age 15-39: 26.5% of the books bought
2001: Age 15-39: 20.8% of the books bought

1997: Age over 55: 33.7% of the books bought.
2001: Age over 55: 44.1% of the books bought
--Ipsos NPD reported in Publishers Weekly, January 6, 2003

Literacy

1992: 20% of adults in the U.S. read at or below the fifth grade level.
--National Adult Literacy Survey reported in Publishers Weekly, January 6, 2003.

"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half have never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half."
--Gore Vidal, author.

[twitchy]

Scary statistics. " 42% of college graduates never read another book." I believe this. I've met educated (as in degree-laden), relatively intelligent people who are actually proud of never having read another book after graduating. Just try talking to them about anything outside of their narrow field of expertise and they look rather blank. I regard them with scorn and condescension! (and pity.)

[dakodas]

Books have always been my salvation. Indeed, there is no frigate like a book. They are the only healthy way to "escape" for me. Even now that I am working I read a minimum of 3-4 books a week.

[LynnieD]

Bought for my hubby, as we both love The Daily Show and Jon Stewart and he HATES the book. I however, LOVE it. Haven't read it cover to cover yet, but getting there. Makes me laugh out loud, and is quite clever.

[buttmunch]

Those statistics are freaking me out. I love books and basically read any chance I've got. In fact, if I can't read before bed I pretty much can't sleep. I even try to read when I'm drunk, which doesn't usually work out very well but hey, at least I try.