The Power of Literacy
- David A. Pickler
- 18 hours ago
- 8 min read
By David A. Pickler
At Porter-Leath's Books from Birth’s Spring Luncheon, David A. Pickler, President of APEF, shared heartfelt remarks on the life-changing impact of literacy and the importance of investing in the next generation through education and access to books.
Books from Birth is the local affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and a proud partner of the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation. It is dedicated to helping children build strong foundations for lifelong learning by providing free, age-appropriate books to families each month.
In a world increasingly shaped by knowledge and opportunity, literacy remains one of the most powerful tools we can give a child. Below are his full remarks.
The Power of Literacy
Good Afternoon.
It is an honor to be with you today, especially in a room filled with people who believe in something both profoundly simple, and extraordinarily powerful.
A book.
Not a device.
Not a program.
Not a policy.
A book.
Carl Sagan once wrote, “One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for a thousand years. To read is to voyage through time.”
Think about that for a moment.
A child—sitting on the floor, flipping through pages—is not just learning words.
That child is stepping into history… imagination… possibility.
They are being quietly introduced to a powerful idea:
That the world is bigger than what they can see, and that they have a place in it.
And that is where everything begins.
The Stakes: Why This Matters
We often talk about literacy as an educational issue.
But it is so much more than that.
It is a life issue.
By the time a child reaches third grade, something critical happens.
They move from learning to read, to reading to learn.
And if they haven’t mastered reading by that point, the consequences begin to compound.
A child who is not reading proficiently by third grade is four times more likely to drop out of school.
Four times…
But let’s go deeper, because that statistic is only the beginning of the story.
The True Cost of Illiteracy
Illiteracy doesn’t just affect a child’s report card.
It shapes their entire trajectory.
Today, 85% of juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally low-literate.
Eighty-five percent.
And the connection doesn’t stop there.
Research has shown that over 70% of incarcerated adults read below a fourth-grade level.
There is even a long-standing, and deeply unsettling, reality in education:
Communities can project the number of prison beds they will need based on third-grade reading scores.
Think about that.
We are not just measuring literacy.
We are forecasting futures.
Because when a child cannot read:
They fall behind in every subject
They lose confidence
They disengage
And eventually, many of them leave school altogether.
But dropping out is not a moment.
It is a process.
A slow accumulation of frustration, discouragement, and missed opportunity.
And the long-term consequences are profound:
High school dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested in their lifetime
They are 63% more likely to be incarcerated than those with a four-year degree
And juvenile incarceration itself reduces the likelihood of graduating high school, and increases the likelihood of incarceration later in life
This is not a cycle.
It is a pipeline.
And it often begins with something as simple, and as preventable, as the inability to read.
So, let’s be clear.
Illiteracy is not just an education issue.
It is an economic issue.
A workforce issue.
A public safety issue.
A human issue.
The Big Idea
Which is why we must rethink the goal.
We should not simply be preparing children to pass tests.
We should be preparing them for engaged citizenship and global competitiveness.
And that begins with one fundamental question:
Can they read?
Because if they cannot read,
They cannot fully participate in our democracy.
They cannot compete in a global economy.
And they cannot confidently shape their own future.
The Foundation
Learning to read is the key that unlocks everything else.
To read is to understand.
To understand is to engage.
To engage is to thrive.
And when we help a child fall in love with reading, we remove the ceiling on their imagination. Because the only limit to what they can become is what they can imagine.
Three Areas of Impact
If literacy is the foundation, then its impact shows up in three critical areas.
Foundational Literacy
This is where everything begins.
A child who reads proficiently:
Learns faster
Thinks more critically
Builds confidence earlier
But a child who struggles to read struggles with everything.
This is why early exposure matters so much.
Not pressure.
Not performance.
But presence.
Books in the home.
Stories at bedtime.
Language woven into everyday life.
Because literacy is not built in a moment.
It is built over time.
Page by page.
Word by word.
Story by story.
But if we stop the conversation at reading alone, we miss the bigger picture.
Because literacy is not confined to books.
And illiteracy—whether financial, digital, or otherwise—has a cost.
A real cost.
One that shows up in our families, our communities, and our future.
Financial Literacy
Let’s talk about an area where literacy has enormous consequences: financial literacy.
Because the cost of financial illiteracy in our country is not theoretical.
It is deeply personal and widely felt.
In fact, 57% of U.S. adults are financially illiterate.
Financial stress is one of the leading contributors to:
Divorce
Anxiety and depression
And even physical health decline
It impacts families.
It impacts relationships.
It impacts entire communities.
And on a broader level, it costs our economy billions of dollars each year in poor financial decisions, debt cycles, and lost opportunity.
This is not a small problem.
It is a growing epidemic.
But here’s the key:
Financial illiteracy doesn’t begin in adulthood. It begins in childhood.
With a lack of exposure.
A lack of vocabulary.
A lack of understanding.
That’s why organizations like APEF are stepping into this space, bringing financial literacy into the lives of young people earlier than ever before.
Helping them understand:
What money is
How it works
And how to make decisions with it
Because financial literacy is not just about dollars.
It is about agency.
It is about having the knowledge to make wise decisions, to avoid unnecessary hardship, and to build a life with intention.
And at its core, it is rooted in literacy.
Because when someone can read, understand, and think critically, they are no longer at the mercy of systems they don’t understand.
They become, quite literally, the master of their own kingdom.
Digital Literacy
Now let’s consider a third area, one that is shaping the future in real time: digital literacy.
The stakes here are rising faster than almost anywhere else.
Because the world our children are growing up in is not just digital. It is driven by constant information, evolving technology, and increasingly, artificial intelligence.
And while we often say that today’s children are “digital natives," the reality is this:
Access to technology does not equal understanding.
And the consequences of that gap are significant.
Because today, over 90% of jobs require digital skills, yet millions of Americans still lack the ability to meet that demand.
So, this isn’t just about convenience.
It’s about readiness.
It’s about whether the next generation will be equipped to participate, and compete, in a rapidly changing global economy.
But the challenge goes even deeper.
Because without digital literacy:
Misinformation spreads easily
Truth becomes harder to discern
And influence becomes increasingly invisible
Algorithms shape what we see.
AI shapes what we consume.
And over time, it can shape what we believe.
And if a child does not have the ability to read deeply, think critically, and question what they’re encountering, they don’t control the information. The information controls them. That is a dangerous place to be.
Because in a world of constant input, the ability to slow down, to evaluate, to discern is no longer optional.
It is essential.
Digital literacy means:
Asking better questions
Evaluating sources
Recognizing bias
And understanding how information is created and delivered
Because if a child cannot interpret what they are consuming, they will be shaped by it, instead of shaping it.
But when literacy is strong, when reading and critical thinking are in place,
Something powerful happens.
They gain clarity.
They gain confidence.
They gain control.
And once again, they become the master of their own kingdom.
The Role of Books
Thomas Jefferson once said, “I cannot live without books.”
And that wasn’t just sentiment.
It was insight.
A society that reads, is a society that thinks.
And a society that thinks, is a society that remains free.
The Human Impact
Malcolm X said, “People don’t realize how a man’s whole life can be changed by one book.”
And if that’s true for one book, imagine what happens when a child receives a book every month from birth.
Not once.
Not occasionally.
But consistently.
That’s what books from birth does.
It shows up.
Month after month.
Year after year.
Placing books into homes where they might not otherwise exist.
Here in Shelby County, that work is led by Porter-Leath. Our local affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
And while Dolly Parton’s program provides the infrastructure, the books in our community are funded right here, locally.
And in doing so, it does something incredibly powerful.
It changes the environment.
Because literacy is not just developed in schools.
It is developed in living rooms.
On laps.
At bedtime.
In those quiet moments when a parent and child share a story.
Sometimes imperfectly.
Sometimes haltingly.
But together.
And those moments matter more than we often realize.
Community Impact
Higher literacy rates are directly tied to:
Lower poverty
Stronger workforce participation
Better health outcomes
Stronger families
And stronger communities
Because literacy is not just personal.
It is foundational to society itself.
Local Impact
Here in Shelby County, something remarkable is happening.
Through Porter-Leath’s Books from Birth program, more than 35,000 children are receiving books every single month.
That makes this program the largest of its kind in the state.
35,000 children.
35,000 families.
35,000 opportunities to change a life.
And it happens for about $25 per child, per year.
Which means nearly $900,000 must be raised each year, right here in this community, to keep those books going out month after month.
Not because of policy.
But because of people.
People who believe this matters.
This Begins With Belief
So, if you believe that a child’s future should not be determined by their zip code...
That every child deserves access to imagination, language, and possibility...
That strong communities are built one family at a time…
Then you already understand why this matters.
This is not charity.
This is investment.
Investment in human potential.
Investment in our workforce.
Investment in our civic future.
And if you feel moved to be part of that investment, there are simple ways to do it.
You can text TURN to 50155, or click here.
But more than anything, this begins with belief.
Belief that access matters.
Belief that early literacy changes lives.
And belief… that together, we can make that possible.
The Power of a Book
Thomas Carlyle once said, "All that mankind has done, thought, gained, or been… lies preserved in the pages of books.”
That is the gift we are giving these children.
As I conclude my message, I want to bring us back to something fundamental.
The strength of our nation has never rested in its institutions alone.
It rests in its people.
In an educated, informed, and engaged citizenry.
That is, and always has been, the single most important element of a free and thriving society.
And if that’s true, then one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation
is not just opportunity…
But the ability to read, and to think.
Because when a child learns to read, they don’t just gain a skill.
They gain access.
Access to knowledge.
Access to perspective.
Access to possibility.
Books unlock dreams.
They expand what a child believes is possible for their life, and for the world around them.
And when you pair that with the ability to think critically, you don’t just shape students.
You shape citizens.
You shape leaders.
You shape the future.
So yes, this work matters. And yes, this program matters.
But even more than that…
This moment matters.
Because it all starts here.
It all starts with reading.
With a book in a child’s hand, a voice in their ear, and a world opening in front of them.
The power of the possible.
The power of a book.
Thank You.
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Books from Birth continues to make a lasting impact on children and families throughout our community.
If you would like to support their mission, you can donate by visiting porterleath.org/turn or clicking the red button below.