Give up social media, read books, Chimamanda Adichie advises youths

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a multi-award-winning Nigerian writer, has urged young people to abandon social media for a few weeks and embrace the culture of reading.
The novelist revealed this while speaking at The Harvard Centre Honors in Massachusetts, where she received the W.E.B Du Bois Medal on Thursday.

And so for you young people, I just want to make a very small suggestion: how about you give up social media for two weeks, three weeks, a month, and read, read, read, Adichie said.

“The most meaningful thing for me as a writer is knowing that I can create something that means something to other people,” she continued. So what moves me the most is hearing from readers who say, “Your work made me feel seen, your work made me think differently, your work made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

“And I’m grateful for this award because it reminds me that what I’m doing matters, and it’s a gift to know that what you’re doing matters.”

“If you care about anything, young people here, please care about reading, reading is so important, reading is magical, books are magical.”