In this article, the author contrasts the past with the present and indicates there are fewer readers now than there were in the past.
In the past, i.e., the 1950s through the 1980s, the author says "America was a country of readers." Reading was a major form of entertainment and nearly everyone did it.
Today, however, is much different. Everyone has a phone full of games and social media. Therefore, reading is not seen as the main way for people to entertain themselves.
