By STEFAN LONCE

Why is reading so important?

Because reading unlocks doors.  According to the National Institute for Literacy, a federal agency:

• 43% of the Americans with the lowest literacy skills are poor;
• 70% of the Americans with the lowest literacy skills are unemployed;
• About one-fifth of American adults read at or below the level a fifth grader;
• College graduates earn more than three times as much as high school dropouts.

How would a NATIONAL READ-IN work?

Each year, President and Mrs. Obama would pick a book to read and discuss with Americans through broadcasts, podcasts, satellite and online; there would be one NATIONAL READ-IN for adults, and one for children.  A NATIONAL READ-IN would combine the best of FDR's Fireside chats (which were typically held on Sunday nights) with the best of Oprah's Book Club.

What books would be chosen?

The Obamas would choose the books, but they could solicit suggestions online, and there could be public opinion polls.  The goal is to get Americans talking about, and reading, books!  This would help the economy, because in order to find opportunity in times of adversity, Americans need to be even more creative, and reading makes people think.

Are there examples of the types of books that could be considered for a NATIONAL READ-IN?

For adults, an obvious first choice would be Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin; President Obama read and discussed this book with Dr. Goodwin, and it obviously influenced his choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. 

Another obvious early choice could be Jonathan Alter's The Defining Moment, which President Obama has also read; Mr. Alter wrote about how FDR handled the banking crisis in 1933, which resembles the present financial crisis in the United States.

Novels could also be chosen, like Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, which Chicagoans read as part of a citywide "One Book, One Chicago" program. sponsored by the Chicago Public Library, in 2001 (the program has continued, with two book selections each year, since then).

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has sponsored "The Big Read" program, which encourages Americans to read and discuss novels within their communities.
 
For children, the Obamas could choose to share their own favorite books from their childhoods.  Reading together is an important bonding and learning experience, for adults, for children, and for everyone.

How many books do Americans read, each year?

According to a 2007 Associated Press poll, Americans read an average of four books each year, but 25% of Americans do not read books.

According to the 2002 National Endowment of the Arts report "Literacy at Risk," only 56% of Americans read any books. 
 
According to the Census Bureau, Americans spend more than twice as much on tobacco products as they do on reading material (books, newspapers and magazines) each year. 

How did the idea for NATIONAL READ-INS come about? 

I am looking for a publisher for my forthcoming book, LCNS2ROM – LICENSE TO ROAM: VANITY LICENSE PLATES AND THE GR8 STORIES THEY TELL, and book sales are declining in this economic recession.  I realized that President Obama, a best- selling author himself, whose campaign revolutionized direct online communication with voters and supporters, could continue and expand his direct dialogue with Americans by adopting my NATIONAL READ-IN proposal.