OPINION: Why Catlin students should read more fiction novels

By Elise Kim ‘25

Courtesy of edutopia.org 

According to a survey sent out to a stratified sample of Upper School students, when asked how frequently they read, the majority (41.5%) responded that they “sometimes” read fiction. This percentage is simply a small statistic wedged in a much larger phenomenon: the decline of reading fiction amongst teenagers. 

A fiction novel may seem innocuous to many at first glance, but within its leafy page contents, students can unlock numerous skills for young students: the power of empathy, writing skills, increased attention spans, and a relaxed mind. 

To begin, there have been many scientific studies conducted that have shown that individuals who read fiction novels have increased levels of empathy. The word empathy is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another.” According to a research article titled “The ‘Novel’ Approach: Using Fiction to Increase Empathy” published by Virginia Libraries, fiction allows readers to view and understand the world from another person’s perspective, which is one of the defined key components of empathy.  

“Fiction lets you step into someone else’s skin, lets you look into someone else’s eyes. It’s a way to live lives that you’re otherwise not going to have access to,” said CGS’ Upper School Librarian, Sue Phillips. “It is a way to develop real empathy whose lives are really different from your own.” 

A recent study conducted by researchers at the New School in New York City has shown that those who read literary fiction in particular have significant increases in empathy. Participants were instructed to either read excerpts from genres such as literary fiction and nonfiction. 

Those who read the literary fiction excerpts received improved results on a test created to measure the participants’ “ability to infer and understand other people’s thoughts and emotions.” On the other hand, the test subjects who read the nonfiction excerpts showed “unimpressive results” after taking the empathy test. 

Having empathy goes beyond simple exposure to new life experiences. To have empathy one must also be willing to accept new viewpoints and ideas that may differ from one's own. According to Ginia King, an Upper School English teacher at CGS, “a good work of fiction” never offers readers “simple truths”, but instead “a lot of ambiguity.” King believes the numerous ways one can interpret fiction is reflective of life where there “aren’t clear cut answers”. 

“Humans are always wanting black and white answers and that doesn’t exist,” said King. “Fiction helps you to become more flexible and more open to different perspectives.”     

Professor Liz Bohls, the Head of the English Department at the University of Oregon, stated that empathy is especially crucial in today’s world. 

“I don’t want to get really political, but I think that some of the things that are happening in our country, such as rounding up undocumented people show a real lack of empathy and understanding,” said Professor Bohls. 

Additionally, cultivating a strong sense of empathy can improve all aspects of later life, whether it’s maintaining strong relationships with loved ones, friends, family, and loved ones or finding success as a leader in the workplace. 

Ever heard the phrase “the more you read the better you write”? One might have heard it  repeated incessantly by elementary school English teachers, and for good reason, as reading can essentially be used as a programming chip to improve your writing skills. 

King has observed from teaching students since 1998, that those who read more fiction novels have an easier time with creative writing assignments in her courses. She attributes this to the fact that reading can boost your vocabulary and make an individual “more comfortable with the written word.” 

Upper School English teacher Tony Stocks explained that students become better writers when they read fiction as they can acquire “models of expression” from the authors. He cited authors such as Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison and James Baldwin who can teach students through their written works how to “express their ideas powerfully”. Subsequently, Stocks stated students can then take inspiration from what they have read and use it in their own writing. 

This is one of the reasons why Stocks incorporates the “peer review process” as it is important for Upper School students to not just familiarize themselves with their own form of writing, but also discover their peers' unique writing styles. 

“Conversely, it’s hard to become a good writer if you don’t read very much,” said Professor Bohls. “The words, the vocabulary, the sentence structure…It’s something that you have to absorb before you can create it.” 

Reading fiction novels allows you to have a larger attention span. This is important in today’s world with the rise of social media and its adverse effects on our levels of focus. Studies have shown that focusing on rapidly changing content, which is present in most social media content such as TikTok videos and Instagram reels, has reduced our ability to process information that isn’t in a small sound bite or short video. By contrast, Stocks stated that committing to reading a 200 to 500 page novel devotes a significantly greater amount of attention. 

While Stocks made it clear he is not suggesting completely “withdrawing from the world in order to read novels”, there is something “rewarding” and “spiritually renewing” in “losing yourself” for a few moments of the day in a book. 

Phillips felt similarly about this subject, as she observed a “dramatic shift” in student and adult interaction since she started working at CGS in 2004. She observes that the notifications, usually accompanied by a “ping” received from phones, often interrupt natural social conversations. To her, reading allows us to be more in the moment and may reduce the amount of time spent on devices. 

“Reading allows…us to make space for our wants, and that doesn’t happen when we constantly get pinged 150 texts a day,” said Phillips. 

Many argue, however, that reading fiction is much less entertaining than what their devices have to offer. One statistic from the American Psychological Association reported that only 20% of teens in the U.S. enjoy reading for pleasure daily and the other 80% find scrolling on social media more enjoyable. 

This encapsulates the feelings of senior Finn Hough. He stated he used to enjoy reading fiction books such as the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas in middle school, but has since stopped. 

Hough stated he wished he would read more novels, but every time he tries he “never gets into it” and ends up giving up. For him, it sometimes can take a significant amount of motivation to read a book, something that can certainly be in short supply with a busy high school schedule. 

“It might be more rewarding to finish a book and looking back I might wish I read, but it’s just easier [and more entertaining] to watch Tiktok,” said Hough. 

Senior Teresa Walsh experienced a similar detachment to reading fiction as she transitioned from middle school to the upper school. Similarly to Hough, she attributes this mostly to the fact that she simply had less free time, and that was also the time when Walsh got a phone. Walsh explained that she still read a couple of books a year, but it wasn’t a constant part of her daily life. 

Walsh, however, feels differently. Scrolling through TikTok was only something she enjoyed momentarily, whereas reading a novel was something that stuck with her and was able to “actively participate” in it. 

“It’s not like I’ve purged media from my life, but I do feel myself a lot happier in my everyday life when I’m not spending all my free time on screens,” said Walsh. 

The CGS English Department tries to encourage students to read more fiction in numerous ways. Teachers such as Stocks and King try to teach students books they think they will find interesting, and then recommend books by the same author. According to Phillips, the way the summer reading program is structured is to get students to encourage their peers to read more by sharing their favorite books with them and conducting a small group discussion at the beginning of the year. 

Stocks suggests to any student interested in starting to read to “troll the displays at the library” which always include a variety of different texts to choose from. 

CGS students should take advantage of these opportunities, and with all the wonderful advantages reading can provide, it is hard to understate the massive improvements reading fiction can bring to students' lives. So next time you are strolling through the library, pick up a book from the display section of the library. Instead of scrolling aimlessly, consider reading your summer reading books; they may just change your life for the better.