The CEA Forum - Gone Far: A Journey of a Thousand Miles with Achak

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by SANS

An essay in The CEA Forum (Summer/Fall 2008) argues that most college students struggle with true reading—connecting with and understanding a text rather than merely getting through assigned pages. Drawing on surveys and market research, the piece links low reading rates to impatience, shortcut-seeking culture, and campus conflicts over educational freedom and war-related content. It then pivots to the educational purpose of literature, emphasizing its role in helping students decide how to live their lives, citing Mark Edmundson and discussing teaching experiences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

The Challenge of Getting Students to Read

Reading as Connection, Not Completion

Evidence of Declining Reading Ability

Campus Politics and Content Resistance

Why Literature Matters

Edmundson’s View of the Point of Literature

Literature, Liberal Education, and Life Decisions

The CEA Forum Summer/Fall 2008: 37.2 Next: Transgressive Literature GONE FAR : A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES WITH ACHAK Mary Curran-Hackett 􀳦You have to make books come alive!􀳦 is what Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Eggers excitedly said to me over the phone one Sunday afternoon last February while discussing his latest book, What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. During an interview I was conducting for a Writer's Digest article, Dave and I had digressed into a conversation about how difficult it is to get students􀳦even college students􀳦to read. And I am not just talking about 􀳦reading􀳦 books, articles or the homework they are assigned􀳦but really reading, and by that I mean connecting with, understanding and partaking in the experience that the writer has created for them. As instructors we may think that assigning a book, examining the students at the end of the quarter and discussing our own thoughts (or those of theorists' even more narrow and nuanced points of view) may seem enough. But the bottom line is that most students in literature classes don't give a damn about what their professors or any other theorist has to say􀳦they're having enough trouble getting through the book􀳦or the credit hours necessary to graduate. Am I underestimating the students in our classrooms? I don't think so. According to a survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics, only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it (Romano A12) . From my own anecdotal experience, I have not witnessed even such a high percentage of such accomplished readers. When I survey my own classes on the first day of every quarter, more than three-fourths of my students admit to having never read a novel in its entirety. Many students admit to never reading at all, and I have had several seniors confess that until they took my class they had never, not even once in college, read a book for their classes􀳦literature included. But one could argue, 􀳦Thirty-one percent? Well those well-read students are in my highly esteemed school, so I don't have to worry about those other slackers.􀳦 Newsflash: Those remaining 69 percent who can't read and understand the content of the book, let alone the theories to extrapolate from, are most likely sitting in our classrooms, too. Now compound the problem of lack of understanding with the lack of reading on the whole. According the market research of Jenkin's Group, an independent book publishing and marketing company, less than 50 percent of adults, college students included, read at all. In fact, one-third of high school graduates never read another book the rest of their lives, and 42 percent of college students never read another book after graduating (Jackson) . Yet, add to this yet another conundrum: Students in today's classroom don't feel like they even have to read what you're assigning them. It is, after all, one's right to do whatever one wants to do. Jean Twenge in her 2006 book Generation Me defines GenMe as those who were born from 1970 to 2000 and who, with their limitless amounts of self-esteem and can-do attitude, as well as prodding from their Boomer parents, have come to the college classroom with the notion that they can cherry-pick assignments, grades and even reading assignments, because in 2008, after all, there is always a movie, Web site or previously written paper, easily searched for on Google or Wikipedia, available as shortcuts. And if getting students to read, into the classroom and even paying attention isn't enough of a challenge, add to this the recent movement on college campuses: Students for Academic Freedom, who, with their founder David Horowitz, are on the prowl for any teacher with a seemingly liberal agenda. Present a book that might question the authority of or human cost of war􀳦and suddenly we're treading some pretty shark-laden waters. Assigning Elie Wiesel, Ernest Hemingway or Tim O'Brien is now a downri

FAQs

What does the essay mean by “reading” in literature classes?

It distinguishes mere completion of assigned pages from true reading: connecting with, understanding, and participating in the writer’s experience.

What factors does the essay cite for students’ lack of engagement with assigned texts?

It highlights low overall reading rates, shortcut-seeking attitudes, campus movements challenging teachers’ agendas, and resistance to war-related critique.

According to the essay, what is the point of literature in education?

Literature helps students enhance their ability to decide how they should live their lives, supporting the broader goals of a liberal arts education.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by SANS