We're Reading Less. What Does That Mean For Our Future?

12/07/2007 at 12:00 p.m.

To Read or Not To Read is the title of a new study on American's reading trends. Turns out Not To Read is the choice of most adults and children. We're spending fewer hours reading books, magazines or even on–line. And reading scores are dropping for American adults of almost all education levels. National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia says this will harm the country's culture, economy, civic life and educational achievement. Yikes! Are you reading less? Are you concerned about the decline in reading? Also, this month working the overnight shift is being added to the probable causes of cancer. We'll talk to a Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Researcher involved in making the recommendation about why the graveyard shift may be aptly named.

Guests:
Scott Davis works at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. He advised the International Agency for Research on Cancer on adding the night shift to the list of probable causes of cancer.