Atlantic staff writer Rose Horowitch makes the case in The End of Reading is Here that a steep decline in reading should alarm us: we may be entering a "postliterate world," with adult readership dropping even among historically reliable groups like retirees, women, and college graduates.
What The Atlantic leaves out, though, is that one generation is picking up the slack.
It’s Gen Z.
A recent Cambridge University Press study by Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda found that, in 2025 compared to 2022:
- 66% of Gen Z identified as readers — up 14%
- 65% had read at least one book in the past year — up 6%
- 36% found a book with a librarian's help — up 15%
The trouble with The Atlantic's article is that its data lumps together a decline spanning every age group, which omits the unexpected and significant gains Gen Z is making. The New York Times takes a different angle: reading and engaging with written material isn't disappearing with this generation; it's evolving alongside it. Reading is trending, and it's bringing young people together.
For the Times, the purpose of written texts is shifting. The internet has reduced the need for printed informational text, but it's opened up space for something else: reading as a source of fun and connection, not just information.
Both The Atlantic and the New York Times agree that the institution of literacy is shifting among adult readers. Horowitch argues that what's deeply troubling is the rise of omnipresent social media and the resulting lack of sustained attention to read novels, engage with long-form journalism, and synthesize advanced writing. The New York Times doesn't contest that this is an issue. However, the Times cites more optimism at large for readership trends, which are in line with the August 2026 Cambridge University Press study.
No one is contesting the importance of reading. The advent of the printing press of the Renaissance transformed our world in every way, igniting massive political change by means of sharing news, burgeoning café culture, and spreading thought-provoking ideas and art through plays, novels, non-fiction, and poetry. Being able to read the news online or dig through digital archives doesn't mean literacy is fading. It just looks different now.
In a post-pandemic, often isolating world, this generation is turning to reading as a way to socialize — reviving libraries, book clubs, and live readings of poetry and theater in the process.
Our society was built on thoughtful attention to written texts paired with real conversation. In a moment defined by alarming headlines and nonstop information, holding onto our libraries and book clubs matters more than ever.
Still not convinced? Join us at the French Library for access to our extensive collection of francophone books and come find your next great read with our librarian, Benoit — reading with a librarian's guidance has even been linked to lower loneliness! Or we hope to see you soon at our French Lit Book Club (in English,) French book club (Club des lecteurs), and conversation events like Pause Café, Alors... Conversation Club, and more in our beautiful community library space.
A round of applause for Gen Z readers — keep it up. We look forward to welcoming you to the French Library soon!
Kaitlin Howlett
Social Media & Administrative Assistant
A Massachusetts native, Kaitlin grew up on the South Shore and began learning French in middle school. She graduated from Boston University in 2025 with a B.A. with honors in History and a minor in French. Kaitlin has worked in France both as an intern at the Parisian art gallery Area Corps and as an English Language Assistant in Nantes. Following her most recent séjour en France, she comes to the French library with a background in university and non-profit administration as well as foreign language education. She is thrilled to contribute to the French Library’s Social Media presence and Marketing Team and foster greater involvement in the Greater Boston Francophone community, which has given her so much. When not at the French library, Kaitlin loves to read, hike, kayak, travel, and fish along the coasts of Massachusetts!
