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I've read since as far back as I can remember. My grandmother was a reader and an example, but I'm not sure why I became so avid a reader. My parents were very open to me reading anything I wanted, but were not readers for pleasure.
When I was young I read science fiction (got that from my older brother), Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, adventure stories, car books, sports books, etc. I devoured books.
Then I had to take "Literature" in High School. These were plays (meant to be acted but we had to read them) and books that had been determined to be great, classics, or "literature." Genre fiction was touched on lightly (thank goodness).
I have never forgotten one book that my Lit teacher made us read. She, fortunately, understood that we would get bored quickly. The book was, The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy which is divided into 5 books. She told us to plow through the first book and the story would get better after that. She was correct. It ended up being pretty good. I only read it once but I remember parts of it 40 years later.
I think that parents, teachers and other important adults in a child's life can inspire them to read. Some direction is good, but letting the child explore on his or her own is also very important. Encouragement is also important.
It will probably never be "cool" or mainstream. Such is life.
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