To Rory Gilmore, the literary heroine of the 2000 dramedy “Gilmore Girls,” nothing smells better than old books. But what if reading works of  “literary merit” were an imposed obligation rather than an escape? Even Rory, the poster child for bookish enthusiasm, might find the magic fading if forced into rigid reading lists.

Research indicates that compelling adolescents to read particular books reduces their reading pleasure. A study in the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults found that only one-third of teenagers (ages 12 to 18) were given the freedom to select their texts for school assignments—a staggeringly low proportion. Unsurprisingly, students who had a say in their books derived far more fulfillment. 

This should alarm schools whose goal is to cultivate lifelong bookworms. Instead, stringent curricula often drain students of the joy of reading before they can develop personal taste. 

Further compounding the issue is literary elitism, a fire stoked by platforms like TikTok’s BookTok community where members discuss and review books. Though social media aims to foster connection and entertainment, users often praise those who read dense, complex literature while looking down on those who read for fun.

This destructive pattern fuels the well-documented human tendency to make downward comparisons by viewing others as inferior and, conversely, to make upward comparisons that lower self-esteem by measuring oneself against a perceived ideal. Social media only magnifies these dynamics. 

Furthermore, self-scrutiny discourages reading altogether. If teenagers feel their books aren’t “good enough,” they may abandon the pastime entirely, feeding the very illiteracy epidemic BookTok claims to combat.  

And the stakes extend far beyond gratification. A love for reading likely influenced the 72% of U.S. adults who demonstrate at least moderate reading proficiency, with studies showing that students are an eye-popping 13 times more likely to read above grade level if they read daily outside of school. 

Encouraging genuine enjoyment isn’t just a bonus—it’s essential to academic excellence and even lifelong literacy, which is exponentially declining. In just six years, U.S. adult illiteracy rose from 19% (2017) to 28% (2023). That means over a quarter of the population struggles with reading at a basic level. 

 “It [the 2017 to 2023 gap] is larger than what we would normally see in an international assessment, particularly literacy, which is a fairly stable construct,” National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr said in a news conference.

The question is no longer what people are reading, but whether they are reading at all. If educators fail to incentivize reading through choice and passion, the illiteracy trend will only worsen. A nation that stops reading is a nation that stops thinking—and that’s an emergency far beyond the classroom.

Pretension doesn’t just harm individuals; it fuels a much broader crisis: censorship. Thought policing isn’t limited to book bans—it also occurs when people restrict their reading lists to books they deem “intellectual enough.” The assumption that only literature like “The Great Gatsby” and “War and Peace” is worth reading creates an academic blockade, excluding diverse voices, fresh perspectives, and stories that genuinely resonate with them. This also reinforces confirmation bias—readers absorb the same predominantly white, male-written “classics” while dismissing contemporary works as frivolous. When reading becomes a status symbol, it loses its most essential function: broadening worldviews. 

Beyond widening horizons, reading is a proven refuge from stress. A University of Sussex study found that reading for just six minutes alleviates stress by up to 68%, faster and more effectively than taking a walk or listening to music. In an era of social media saturation and hustle culture, reading’s outperformance of any other anxiety-relieving outlet renders it essential to society’s stability. If reading is a mental sanctuary, who is anyone to dictate whether someone else’s escape—whether romance novels, thrillers, fantasy, or traditional literature—is “worthy”?

“I love the way that each book—any book—is its own journey. You open it, and off you go…” children’s novel author Sharon Creech said.

And that’s what reading should be: an adventure, not academic clout. While nothing may smell better than old books, nothing fuels a society like a love of reading—free, uncensored, and unpretentious. 

Read what you love. And love that you read.