I love reading books — it is my preferred pastime. It’s a passion that began as a child growing up in Ireland in the 1950s and 60s. We lived in a thatched-roof home with mud floors and no running water or electricity. We did not have television, had limited radio and, of course, no internet. With few other options, reading became my main source of information, learning and inspiration.
Fortunately for me, my mother was an avid reader. She loved books and, even though we were poor, always found ways to have them in the house — mostly about history or autobiographies of famous people. I fondly recall finding a quiet space in our home — not easy considering I had four younger siblings in addition to my parents — where books became my companion.
My obsession with reading has continued throughout my career, despite time constraints that come with the job. During my 23 years as CEO of Northwell Health, I would routinely send my leadership team lists of books that I had read and enjoyed, with a brief synopsis of each.
My love of reading is why I find it so distressing that the number of Americans who read for pleasure has dropped more than 40% over the past 20 years, according to researchers at University College London and the University of Florida. The study, based on a survey of more than 236,000 Americans, found only one in six adults, teenagers and children (16%) read for pleasure on average. The decline goes beyond the United States: 40% of Britons had not read or listened to any books in 2024.
What a troubling trend! Even among master-level college students I taught, I began to see signs many years ago that young people were becoming reluctant to read. When I would give them a list of books they needed to read as part of their course work, the students wanted me to highlight pertinent pages they should read rather than the whole book. They would get upset when I explained the need to fully appreciate the total context. They wanted the process of learning to be simple and easy, avoiding the need to deal with complexity and nuance. For them, reading the whole book took too much time and energy.
For me, reading was always my source of knowledge, my pathway to upward mobility and the incentive to pursue a college education at a time when far fewer Irish pursued higher education.
Even now, I find that reading books allows me to imagine, explore and broaden my perspective on a multitude of topics. It helps focus the brain, understand and appreciate contradictory views, and constantly recognize how much more there is to learn in life.
As a teenager, I remember reading the many books by Zane Grey, the American author known for his popular adventure novels, mostly focused on America’s Wild West — “Riders of the Purple Sage” was one of my favorites. I marveled at his ability to write in such prose that allowed me to visualize the western terrain that was such a central part of so many of his stories. His writing was like a painting etched in my imagination.
As I read, I make notes in the margins, underline important passages, and study the interrelationships of all the components and characters. I’m especially interested in history because it helps shine light on the present and provides a perspective on similar issues and challenges we’ve encountered in the past. As the philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Indeed, it is difficult to fully understand where you are if you have little knowledge of where you were.
I fully recognize that our obsession with smartphones and other digital distractions have hijacked people’s attention spans and diverted their personal time away from the pleasures of reading. But sadly, multiple studies show they’re also negatively affecting reading scores, literacy and overall academic performance.
We need to help our young people escape from the fragmented world of digital engagement, learn to think for themselves and embrace the joy of reading. If you’re looking for a good New Year’s resolution, why not start with something that will be both pleasurable and a means of self-improvement: read a good book — and the whole book!
Michael J. Dowling is CEO Emeritus of Northwell Health, the largest health system in the Northeast.
