THE FUTURE OF WRITING: A Conversation with Ethan Mollick and Steven Johnson

I'm Rufus Grisscomb and this is the Next Big Idea. Today, will we still read books in 20 years? We ask Ethan Mollock and Stephen Johnson. I love books.

I love the smell of them, the feel of them, the ridiculous jackets that fall off and crumple by the spine and tatter at the edges, the the whole experience. And I truly believe that to read a book, especially in this moment in history, is a radical act of listening, of focus, of of meditation for six, eight, ten, twelve hours at a time. I spent my twenties as a book editor, And I've come back to it. I've spent the last six years building a business at the next big idea club that's all about celebrating the ideas in books.

I feel about books the way foodies feel about truffles, the way toddlers feel about bubble wrap. But two of my three boys, they have no use for books. they really don't see the point. They think video, YouTube, is a better format for communicating ideas. And these kids are really curious and engaged with the world.

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