Books vs. movies

Many people in Canada read books or watch a movie for entertainment in their free time.

Printed books and movies have many similarities and differences.

An unscientific survey was conducted online showing 77 per cent of people believe a book demonstrates a story better than a movie does. Only 22 per cent think otherwise.

However, 61 per cent of people prefer watching a movie over reading a book.

Roger Wurdemann, owner of Juniper Books in Windsor, said the results did not surprise him. He thinks reading a book is like meditating and it takes time.

“Movies came to our era,” said Wurdemann. “We live in a fast-pace world where information needs to be quick.”

Although Wurdemann said he prefers reading books, he still watches Netflix and goes to the theatre once in a while.

“I think they can both (books and movies) be quite powerful for sure, but I think there’s a greater likelihood of a book having a more lasting impression on someone than a movie,” said Wurdemann. “It can impact someone and even change their life.”

Wurdemann said there are a lot of great things about reading a book. One of them is getting to know the point of view of the writer.

“You’re learning how other people think and feel and you’re getting inside someone’s head. I think that’s an important attribute. You don’t really get that from movies,” said Wurdemann. “When you watch a movie and think of that kind of medium, you put yourself in the situation. You think of yourself as Jason Bourne or whoever the lead is.”

Wurdemann said he read about 25 books in the last 12 months. He said it is a small number for somebody who owns a bookstore.

On the other hand, Amany Wahba, 44, said she read only one book in the past year. She prefers watching movies.

“I don’t like reading. I don’t have the patience for it,” said Wahba.

Wahba said a movie displays a story better as it has visuals that helps you understand the idea more clearly.

Ragiah Ayman, 19, said a book is better at telling a story.

“A book I read recently and loved so much is The Fault in Our Stars. The book actually brought me to tears with all the little details,” she said. “When I watched the movie, it just ended so quickly, I didn’t have the chance to get attached to the characters.”

The survey also showed that 83 per cent of people who took this survey and prefer to read are females. 47 per cent of those readers are between the ages 18 and 20.

“When I first opened my bookstore, 12 years ago, most of my customers were old people, but now most of them are young people in their twenties,” said Wurdemann. “This gave me hope.”

Reading can also be for academic purposes and not just for entertainment. This was a comment from a person who took the survey:

“Reading isn’t really my thing so when I do read I prefer to read something that will actually help me learn something, maybe history, political science.. etc.”

Several people also said they would prefer reading history and health-related books rather than reading stories for entertainment.