During my many school visits I return to one topic more than any other - the importance of reading for pleasure. It is one the most vital things any human being can do to improve their lot in life and increase their chances of success in whatever field they choose. Unfortunately too many people, young and old, are reluctant readers and that is something I want to help change.

The benefits of reading for pleasure are pretty difficult to quantify, in a bean-counting sense. The long-term effects on individuals, society and the economy are hard to measure but that doesn't mean they don't exist. In the past few years I've grown tired of hearing from commentators talking about the death of the book. I've joined and supported campaigns that aim to protect and promote libraries and their staff, in schools and in the wider community. I've also made it my mission to get teenagers reading. All of this comes from a single belief, one that I'm not alone in holding. For our country to prosper and grow we need to invest in our future and that means we must ensure that all young people are given the chance to fulfill their potential. Books and libraries, therefore, have a vital role to play.

We know that access to school is critical and we are lucky enough to live in a society where every child receives an education. However, it strikes me as odd that many parents and even some teachers don't understand that, beyond the national curriculum, a huge factor in success is reading and enjoying books. A child who reads fifty books a year IS more likely to succeed than one who doesn't. The "pay-off" of this love for reading will be felt across our society. The better read, better educated our young generation becomes the greater will be the prosperity that we'll all benefit from. In my opinion we shouldn't even count the cost of providing books, libraries, literacy projects etc... Rather, we should be insisting that a good proportion of our national income is spent on such things. The fact that we generally don't insist on this is a crying shame.

During one particular visit, I met a young man who challenged my views about reading for pleasure. He asked me how reading words from a page could help him to become successful. I replied that he should exercise his brain as much as any other part of his body. In front of his entire year group I pointed out that it would be impossible for me to cut open his head, take out his brain, and make it exercise in the traditional sense. Our brains can't play football, go swimming, or run marathons. What they can do, I said, is become stronger by being fed with knowledge and ideas. The more you feed them, the better they become, and that can only be a good thing. My explanation seemed to make sense to that audience and I've used it ever since in schools all over the world.

I also believe that there is a difference between printed words and those we see on computer screens. In my opinion we process information better on paper than from a monitor. When I write, my first draft is always typed but everything else is done in the traditional way. In fact I cannot edit straight onto a screen because I find it impossible. Instead I print out each chapter, read what I've written and make notes. Many writers I've spoken too do the same thing. I might sound old fashioned in this age of e-readers but I honestly believe that the printed word is a vital thing. I heard recently of a well-known public school that has done away with real books and "gone digital" and I wanted to cry. Needless to say, I have yet to join the digital revolution in novels, and I doubt that I ever will. For me real books are as important as food. That doesn't mean I oppose the digital formats; I can see that e-books complement printed books. However they should never be a replacement for them.

I guess the point is this: we should never have to justify our defence of books, libraries and reading for pleasure. We should insist that our politicians invest in the future by making the money available to promote literacy. And we should not simply accept that the printed word is dead. Every single person who helped to create computers, the Internet and other forms of digitization were educated with the help of real books. Without them, human beings wouldn't have progressed as much as we have. They really are THAT important.

www.balirai.co.uk