When I was a little kid, my parents– both English teachers– would read to me every night before bed. We would go to the library every week and I got to pick out books to read. As I got older, my dad would buy me books for Christmas and my birthday and he would continue reading to me every night until middle school.

I was raised to be a reader– and today, I find love and entertainment in reading. However, I have found that what I look for in books is what many of my peers now look for in movies, television and social media. I know very few people who actually read on a regular basis, which I find to be a big problem.

According to Healthline, reading helps strengthen your brain and vocabulary and improves your ability to empathize and reduces stress. Yet, with all of the other options of entertainment available to our generation, reading is often overlooked as something that is boring and pointless. Why read a book when you can watch a movie or binge a show?

An article from The New Yorker points out that from 2003 to 2016, the population of readers in America decreased by 6.8 percent, and it has only dropped more since then. Attaining entertainment through a screen is a lot easier than reading, which many people often value over the mental endurance that reading sometimes requires– no matter how beneficial it may be. But as different types of media are further incorporated into everyday life, it seems as though people no longer recognize the value and purpose of reading.

Aside from the fact that reading can advance your vocabulary and reduce your stress, it also transports you into a story. Some stories are simply fun and entertaining. However, literature can be so beautiful and I have read many meaningful and life-changing books.

I recently read “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara; the story follows a man named Jude and his friends throughout many years of their lives. It’s a simple story, yet I found myself connecting and empathizing with Jude. I felt what he felt and I was able to immerse myself into that story.

“A Little Life” also contained a message that I think many people need to hear: you deserve love and happiness, no matter what has happened in your life. That is the type of message that people may gain through the characters, setting and story of a work of literature. The joy and beauty of reading is learning and finding a connection through words.

I believe that in addition to television and social media, we should read more. Everyone should experience the joy of reading, whether it’s a fun romance, a chilling mystery or deep and meaningful literature. Reading offers something for everyone, and that is an opportunity we all should seize.