Well, for one, the average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project

Moreover, less than half the U.S. population reads only one book per year and the rest of the population doesn’t even read a book.

Illiteracy By The Numbers

The Literacy Project addresses illiteracy at its earliest stage by teaching at-risk second-graders how to read. The statistics on literacy underscore the critical need to address illiteracy in the United States:

• Currently, 45 million Americans are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level
• 50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth-grade level
• 57% of students failed the California Standards Test in English
• 1/3 of fourth-graders reach the proficient reading level
• 25% of students in California school systems are able to perform basic reading skills
• 85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading
• 3 out of 5 people in American prisons can’t read
• 3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read