Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • According to recent study from the Pew Research Center, almost 1 in 4 American has not read a book in the past year.

  • That actually seems high to me.

  • I bet it's even fewer than that.

  • So to find out, this afternoon, we sent a team out to the street.

  • To ask pedestrians to name a book.

  • Any book.

  • Could be The Bible.

  • Could be "Fifty Shades of Gray".

  • All we wanted to know is "Can you name a book?"

  • And here is how that went.

  • Can you name a book?

  • Oh, yes.

  • Uh... uh... I don't read books.

  • But... what's it called?

  • Can you name a book?

  • Uh... no.

  • Can you name a book?

  • Um... uh... I don't read books.

  • Yeah, that's it.

  • A book?

  • "The Lion King"

  • The movie?

  • Yeah, the book.

  • - You read the book "The Lion King"? - Yeah.

  • Let me just think.

  • Uh... hey, hold on, man. I'm trying... I mean.. hold on, let me think, hold on.

  • Can we cut this and do it again?

  • Can you name a book?

  • A book? Any book?

  • Um... "The Jungle Book".

  • It's not a book, is it?

  • It's a movie.

  • "The Jungle Book".

  • Sure.

  • Is it?

  • Both.

  • Are you sure?

  • No.

  • Does... do magazines count?

  • No, those wouldn't be books.

  • That's correct.

  • I can name "Moby Dick".

  • That's an artist. He wrote a book called "Horse", I liked that book.

  • Moby Dick was the author?

  • Yes.

  • The book was "horse"?

  • Yes.

  • That's what I said.

  • What was the last book you read?

  • Um.. probably Dr. Seuss.

  • Dr. Seuss.

  • Dr. Seuss.

  • Dr. Seuss, maybe.

  • I haven't read a book for like 12 years.

  • I'm drawing a blank.

  • Geez.

  • I need books.

  • Sorry.

  • I am totally blanking out on books.

  • What do you do for a living?

  • I was a librarian. Now I'm unemployed.

  • All you have to do is pick up a book.

  • 'Cause when you know how to read, adventures come to you.

  • That's right. Thank you, Shaq.

  • Not only do Shaq read books, he eats them.

According to recent study from the Pew Research Center, almost 1 in 4 American has not read a book in the past year.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it