Books Can't Compete
Here’s a depressing and blunt comment from Larry McMurtry, speaking not only as a novelist but as a bookstore owner (it’s an interview):
The end of the culture of the book. I’m pessimistic. Mainly it’s the flow of people into my bookshop in Archer City. They’re almost always people over 40.
I don’t see kids, and I don’t see kids reading. I think little kids love to have stories read to them, but when they get to 10 or 11 or 12, they ...
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While I liked the story, I think it could have done more. This is not a new topic-- with new technologies comes the question of whether print sources can compete. The new idea presented here is multi-tasking. It's possible kids are reading as much as they used to-- only they are also listening to music or talking on AIM as they read. I think it's easy to just claim books are goners and the author took the easy road.