Home Libraries Confer Long-Term Benefits
A large new study finds people who grew up in book-filled homes have higher reading, math, and technological skills.
Reading
Childhood Poverty Is Linked to Poorer Cognitive Skills in Old Age
Cognitively speaking, there may be no way to recover from a disadvantaged childhood.
PS Picks: John Carey's 'The Intellectuals and the Masses'
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Women Are Superior Wordsmiths From an Early Age
By fourth grade, girls are better than boys at reading and, especially, writing. New research finds this gap then increases as they get older.
Why Are More Americans Reading Poetry Right Now?
The NEA reports an increased interest in poetry—but when we focus too much on numbers, we diminish the experience that makes poetry so vital.
PS Picks: Well-Read Black Girl, Noir Reads, and Other Answers to the Sensitivity Reader Problem
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
PS Picks: Conquering Cynicism in a Secular World With Marilynne Robinson
PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.
Teaching the Art of Reading in the Digital Era
As the art of close reading has declined, a cohort of experts has emerged to reverse the trend and encourage stronger reading habits.
Looking to Fiction for Insights on Suicide
We need to help everyday Americans understand suicide better. Literature is well positioned to serve that function.
How Comic Books Can Get Even Better for Dyslexic Readers
While the medium is relatively accessible for people with reading difficulties, its lettering norms are still leaving some behind.
Charting the Rich History of Dyslexia Advocacy
A new website from Oxford University sheds light on the organizations and individuals that moved the needle on societal understanding.
You Are What You Read
How the literary genres you prefer reveal—or shape—your sense of what is ethical.
The Future of the Humanities: Reading
As technology advances, doomsaying remains constant.
Stranger Than Fiction
We know literary fiction can make us more empathetic. Can it also be used to raise geopolitical awareness?
How Minnesota Is Addressing Third-Grade Literacy Well Before Third Grade
Abbie Lieberman explores how far one state has gone in improving early literacy—and how far all 50 still have to go.
Brain Waves May Help Diagnose Reading Problems Early
Electrical signals in the brain may help identify children who'll struggle with reading as early as age three.
What Makes You So Smart, Creativity Cultivator?
Noah Davis talks to creative Oni Hartstein about reading, drawing, creating communities, and how a trip to Disney World changed her life.
The Missing
As a kid, Rachael Maddux thought she could shut herself away from the reality of death. Instead, through Reader’s Digest, she came face to face with the fragility of life.
Philadelphia's Librarian Dilemma
The City of Brotherly Love is losing librarians, despite scores of studies proving their value. What gives?
In Praise of Slow Reading
A new reading app turns one classic and one current novel into a pair of serializations. Could it be a way to overcome our very modern tendency to skim?
Speed-Reading Apps Will Not Revolutionize Anything
The one-word-at-a-time presentation eliminates the eye movements that help you comprehend what you're reading.
Are Picture Books Warping How Kids Understand Animals?
Anthropomorphizing animals is a bad strategy for education, a new study suggests.
The Surprising Power of Symmetry
New research finds people who read an article presented in a symmetrical format find it both more appealing and more relevant.