In this 21st century, people can carry a whole library in their hand. The popularity of e-books has increased a lot as technology has improved.

There are lots of advantages to reading e-books. Ebooks can be downloaded to computers or phones, and once it is downloaded, it can be read without internet access. They don’t take up much space on people’s phones, and they won’t clutter your house. Ebooks can be interactive and contain audio, video and animations, which can “enhance the message that the author is trying to convey.” Ebooks are portable and most of all, they save paper and trees.

However, Ebooks have some disadvantages too, like Ebook readers can cost money, they requires power, and can cause eyestrain.

“I prefer reading printed books because there’s a glare on the screen which bothers me while reading and also it is distracting because when you are reading and you would want to got to other websites at the same time.” said AHS English teacher, Emma Walker.

Printed books have their own benefits too. According to Greg Krehbiel, a publisher and speaker, research showed that people retain more from when they read printed books. He says it is probably because of the tactile sensation of the book in your hand, which gives you a lot more feedback than you think. The thickness of the pages you’ve read vs. the thickness of the pages yet to read and the position of the words on the page impact the experience. People’s minds make a record of the location that is based on more of what people are seeing because memories are closely associated with other senses.

The exchange student in AHS from Georgia, Ruben Vartanyan said, “

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I like to read printed books because it helps me remember more.

— Ruben Vartanyan