About a year ago I began listening to books on Audible during my drive to and from work in an attempt to add more reading time into my already full schedule. Typically, I listen to adult books on Audible because I don’t require a hard copy of an adult book for my classroom library. But this week, I have been reading a children’s book that downloaded as part of a deal.
The story takes place in the 1800s and the author did an incredible job writing in an authentic voice for that time period. The “topic” of the book is science and the study of nature. Notice I said the “topic”, because the book has no apparent story arc – no plot that is compelling me to read (I am about one-third of the way through the book). Normally, by this point in the book I will literally sit in my car in the school parking lot or in my garage at home, so I can continue listening to the story even though I have reached my destination. With this book, I am struggling to continue reading at all, often switching to one of my music playlists instead of listening to the book.
The question that is now further distracting me while reading the story, “Should I keep reading or abandon the book?” I believe it was Donalyn Miller that I once heard say, “There are too many pieces of quality literature to continue reading a book that is not working for you.” I am finding this advice really difficult to honor because I don’t think I have ever not finished a book that I have started. I have this weird obsession to finish a book that I begin. As a teacher, I also think, “What if this is the book that I can recommend to a struggling reader that will get them excited about reading?”
During my dissertation research, I noticed that the kids in my study abandoned approximately 60% of the books they started. I could not find any research that gave some indication as to what was an “acceptable” rate of book abandonment. Regardless, the 60% seemed high, particularly given the other data I collected. In my research study it seemed kids were abandoning books primarily for one of two reasons: (1) they did not really know and/or use previewing skills and (2) they did not have enough knowledge about what made a text complex and the corresponding skills to work through a complex text. As a teacher, I do encourage kids to abandon a book if the book contains content that makes them feel uncomfortable. However, I also worry about book abandonment because it seems in our society of instant gratification, that kids often don’t have the stamina to finish piece of literature. Kids need a balance of shorter and longer texts to grow their reading skills. So, what level of book abandonment is acceptable? Or, do I need to focus on the reasons for abandoning a book? I have always struggled with these questions in my classroom.
While writing this article I tried to Google more information about book abandonment. There was surprisingly little meaningful information. A few formulas to help make the decision to read on or not. And in June of 2013, there was a poll on Goodreads (a bibliophile website) responding to the question, “When do you abandon a book?” Twenty-one thousand, nine-hundred and seventy-seven readers had five choices: I always finish, no matter what (38.2%); After reading less than 50 pages (15.7%); After reading 50-100 pages (27.8%); After reading 100 pages (7.7%); and After reading 100+ pages (10.5%).
The results of the Goodreads poll makes me feel like I am in good company—I am not alone in my weird obsession to never abandoned a book. Yet, I am still pondering the question—should I continue to read a book that I am not enjoying? What should I expect of my students? Even if it is ok to sometimes abandon a book, how many times is too many? I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
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