Sharing: Thoughts On Reading, Empathy, & Writing

I'm obsessed with learning. Research for me is a form of entertainment. I take it very seriously. Therefore, it is no surprise; a couple of statistics literally dictated the way I wrote my novel. Is that a bad idea? Well, the verdict is still out. However, I am compelled to explore, and what better way than to share it with my many wonderful writer friends. Besides research, I have spent my life dealing with people from all walks of life, and educational backgrounds. People are truly awesome, and I find their behaviors intriguing. Most of all, I enjoy learning about how they interpret their own behavior. It is fascinating to me. Often our tight lipped society leads individuals into the belief that they are different or odd.
Americans have simply evolved into a less outspoken society than our counterparts have around the world. Why?  I really don't know, but being frank is a sure way to get a prescription for Prozac.
Writers are fascinating people with something to say. Many writers are outspoken people whom learned early on, society affords them more latitude with pen in hand.  I think most would agree there is no end to the effort a writer will endure to say what they want to say in the right way. Of course, often, there is a lot controversy over the 'right way'.
Now, many of you may get a chuckle out of this, because after personally experiencing the market, it's a bit funny to me. Nevertheless, as I wrote my novel I focused on two statistics. Don't get me wrong, these statistics are very bothersome to me.
The first is empathy. Studies claim young men and women entering college are 40% less empathetic than in recent years. WOW! I can hear many of you out there saying video games and graphic television are to blame. Perhaps, you are correct, but I don't think video games will disappear from the shelves, nor will television go back to the 'Leave it To Beaver', or even the 'Cheers' eras. Nothing is sacred nothing is off-limits.
Since it is my nature to be thorough, I also wonder if we should consider terrorism, and protective parenting as a possible cause. Likely, it is a combination of all. The truth is…I'm not going to solve this on my own.  
Yet, I ponder this statistic and wonder. Are these young adults desensitized or do they simply, not know how to feel for another? It seems problematic, but in reality, is it a good and practical defense mechanism or a serious decline in society? After all, the world is often heartbreaking; we can't have people standing around in tears all the time. 
Now, let us look at the second issue. Many years ago, I remember a particular day when I was reading the newspaper with my Dad. He said, "You know Sis, the paper is written at an 8th grade reading level to accommodate the grade at which most Americans read." My mouth dropped, horrified, I asked, "Dad, do most Americans really read at an 8th grade level?" Obviously, his answer was "yes." Apparently, back in those days, we had reached our peak. Americans, now, read at a 5th grade level. Unfortunately, many of them are college educated. In my mind, this is preposterous.
I have a son with disabilities. Some years ago, I was told he would never read, but if he did, he would only master the reading level of a second grader. That was unacceptable, therefore, I hired a competent tutor, and I am proud to say that at 21 years old he reads proficiently at the level of a high school freshman, yeah, better than the average American.
One thing I learned over the years watching him progress with his tutor was after mastering the obvious basic skills, he became a better reader, by reading. When he became a better reader, he understood human emotions and possessed more empathy towards others. Soon, his IQ rose by two deviation standards. Professionals consider this a considerable rise. Later, he increased by one more deviation standard.  
Dear Friends, bear with me, this is all slightly embarrassing. When I began writing my novel, I sat out to address these two issues. I would create two characters that would tackle very complex issues. In order to impact a general audience one of my characters would be an uncommonly verbal and inquisitive male. The format would be character driven with lots of dialogue, similar to a sitcom. All of this would address the lack of empathy, which I found myself more concerned about than is reasonable. Needless to say, within the current audience it meets with a love/hate relationship, they either love to style and format or hate it. Please, understand I am not an egomaniac, I am happy with small progress.
This format would also allow me to bring down the reading level, thus appealing to a general audience. Yes, I know you are laughing now. Of course, I didn't realize, the book would not be reaching that audience. At present, I am quite humbled.
Still, I ask you to allow me to defend myself. Prior, to publishing nearly 300 readers read all or significant amounts of King Solomon's Journey, many read all the way through book 2. I knew virtually none of the readers. (Let's face it, getting family to read your novel is about like pulling teeth.)  The cross-section was a general mix of male/female, educational levels varied, and ages were from 22 to 68. I don't believe any of the readers were writers. The results were very positive; men did tend to like it about 6% better than women. There were other interesting details, but I won't present those, now.
Since hindsight is 20/20, I realize, I took a very long and complicated route to reach an answer many of you knew all along… Books do not reach the average reader; the average reader doesn't buy books, and those who possess the ability to read above average probably do not lack empathy, so maybe they don't need to have things spelled out.
I guess, my hope is that the emerging authors that are out there taking more control over their work through marketing and self-publishing, will find a successful way to provoke unlikely readers into the world of books. I am personally quite hopeful, as this dynamic group of authors is dedicated and motivated.
Please, feel free to comment and share your thoughts.