Books versus Smartphones

I'm at work/school and am staring out at 26 teenagers.  They are supposed to be reading and preparing for the fourth literature circle that we are having tomorrow, but I would say only about eight of them are doing that.  The other 18 are involved in whispered gossip, absorbed in the social media or games on their smartphones, doing other homework, or just staring off into space.

Now, my question is: what in the world do I do about it?  How am I supposed to make these students care about the books that I would like them to read?  I gave them choice (not a completely "free choice," but a choice).  This class is reading The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, and Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin.  These are all pretty fascinating books.  Some are a tad slow, but on the whole I feel like there is value in each one.  I'm not so sure many of them do.  

The literature circles so far have been fairly lame.  I've learned that a lot of my students don't really know how to communicate with each other in a sustained, intellectual way.  They have about enough material to last about fifteen minutes, and then the conversations crap out.  I need to do more to prepare them to talk in this way, but it's tough. 

Part of the problem are these pesky smartphones.  A long, sustained argument/description in a book does not give the kind of immediate feedback and gratification that smartphone apps, social media, and gaming does.  It's a tough transition I am asking my students to make when I want them to read books, but it's one that is essential to them being capable thinkers.  Part of the problem is that so many of my students have never gotten into the "flow" of reading.  It's not something that they've had success at or enjoyed, and so they  avoid it and immerse themselves in other areas of life.

Well, the bell just rang and it's time to go.  I don't have all the answers as a teacher, but I'm still here after ten years and have a lot of hope that next year I'll get it all figured out...if only I can make it through the next two weeks into summer...if...