Do Americans Still Read?

Since Ronald Reagan was first elected in 1980, literacy has fallen off a cliff. It's difficult to imagine anyone reading a book in public nowadays, despite Amazon's success. But evidently New Yorkers still do it, at least when they ride the subway.

This photo comes from Underground New York Public Library.

Maybe it's just a way to gain some privacy in an overcrowded world, but keep in mind that New York City is one of the healthiest places on earth to live. Hard to believe? Life expectancy is higher in New York than Miami. Maybe all the sick New Yorkers moved south, skewing the figures?

What I'm reading now:

• Roddy Doyle's book of short Irish fiction, Bullfighting;
• Ann Packer's novella and short story collection, Swim Back to Me;
• Matt Taibbi's excoriation of Wall Street and American politics, Griftopia.

Remember, reading lengthens life and staves off memory loss, just ask my 90-year-old mother.