short stories, read poetry, fantasy books

Stopping Illiteracy: Why Reading is Important

Sometimes people wonder why reading is important. There are some obvious and some not-so-obvious reasons why reading is so vital to society. It’s true, there are a lot of other things we could be doing with our time, and with the advent of technology and the internet, some people might think of picking up a book as being a little dated or strange (e-book devices like the Nook and Kindle are replacing hard-copies in a lot of ways, though). It is important to realize that struggling with vital reading skills in not a sign a low intelligence — if you

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Reading Books Online, Free Online Novels, Poetry and Short Stories Online

Illiteracy & Its Social & Economic Impact on the United States

Illiteracy is a very common problem in the U.S., more common than some people might think. As many as 23% of the adult American population (40-44 million) is functionally illiterate (Level 1 according to the National Adult Literacy Survey), lacking basic skills beyond a fourth-grade level. Illiteracy is widespread, a problem in every community, not limited to any race, region or socioeconomic class. Illiteracy also has a rather large impact on the economy. Adult illiteracy costs society an estimated $240 billion each year in lost industrial productivity, unrealized tax revenues, welfare, crime, poverty, and related social ills. Illiteracy also affects

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Where & How Did You Learn to Read? What Makes It Enjoyable?

It’s always amazing to hear different stories from people about how they learned to read and how they got to the point where they enjoy every single turn of the page. In my case, it was my father who got me into reading — and later, this fueled my ever-growing love for writing as well. He used to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation almost every single day. It wasn’t long before I got into the franchise and began watching it with him. This fascination with the Star Trek franchise later grew beyond the television show, leading me down the

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Become a Fan!

My new and official Facebook fan page is online. Fans, of course, will be able to interact with other fans, participate in polls and Fan-only discussions and more! Become a fan today by using the link on the right side bar or in the Social Square on Josh Robert Nay Online! Non-fans and those without Facebook accounts can still benefit from announcements posted on Facebook, the Blog, and new publications by way of the Official Josh Robert Nay RSS Feed. Twitter is another option as well, though it is not nearly as in depth as the RSS Feed. Thanks to

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Follow Me on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, RSS

Work has me swamped today, so I thought I’d take a moment to remind everyone to follow me on Twitter, this blog, RSS Feed, or friend me on Facebook. I am, of course working on a permanent fan page on Facebook, but my own Facebook page will suffice for the time being. Following via RSS Following using the RSS option is by far the best option, as it notifies you of new posts on The Purple Dragon as well as new publications as soon as they are available. To follow via RSS, visit any page on Josh Robert Nay Online

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