It is important to recognize the politics of books because the art cannot be separated from the artist when it comes to literature
As with many other bookworms, I read to escape my own stressful reality by stepping into the world of someone else. People who read for fun have inspired imaginations and creative thinking skills. Plus, readers tend to have more positive outlooks on life compared to non-readers.
But, reading is much more than simply a form of entertainment. Reading is a great way to gain knowledge about the real world, making it a political act because politics are the intricate relationships between people within society, usually regarding people who have and don't have power.
Historically, reading has been linked to upward social mobility, freedom, and radical change. Reading and education coexist because the organization of political movements cannot happen unless people are educated on the issue.
Historically, reading has been linked to upward social mobility, freedom, and radical change. Reading and education coexist because the organization of political movements cannot happen unless people are educated on the issue. Many independent bookstores and libraries put out reading lists to support movements and to educate their consumers. For example, the Hamilton Public Library has a reading list for Black Lives Matter.
Reading and education are so powerful that many attempts have been made throughout time to censor or ban books. Book bans have been sweeping across the United States, but the removal of books is also happening in our own neighbourhoods in Canada. In September of 2023, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) was accused of weeding out 50 per cent of its library books simply because they were published pre-2008.
PDSB defended its actions by claiming that weeding out old books promoted inclusivity and diversity. However, by following the sole criteria of publishing date, the school board was erasing important history. The loss of certain books sparked anger because many of them were used to educate students on real-world events that should not be forgotten.
Reading influences the outcome of politics, but the creation of books is also influenced by politics. A book cannot be separated from an author just as politics cannot be separated from everyday life. Authors write what they know, embedding little parts of themselves and their beliefs throughout their work. Books reflect reality, both good and bad, and expose readers to a vast range of human experiences and world views.
Although reading can serve as a positive political tool to educate the masses, there are times when books do more harm than good. Unfortunately, readers can sometimes also be exposed to extremely problematic and offensive literature. Where books are hypothetical and imaginative for some, they are triggering for others when they mishandle or glorify topics such as homophobia, racism, sexual assault, and more.
I spend a lot of time in the online book communities of BookTok, Bookstagram, and BookTube where I often encounter the rhetoric of "keep politics out of books." But, for the reasons explained above, it is virtually impossible to remove the politics from books. As a content creator in these spaces who openly criticizes harmful authors, I get frustrated when I'm told I'm "making a big deal out of nothing" because "it's just fiction."
Many comments made along these lines have been in relation to my attempts at exposing authors who romanticize and erase the violent nature of sexual assault. For survivors, these books are never "just fictional" because reading them can easily trigger past or ongoing trauma. In addition, it can teach young readers that certain acts of violence are okay and prevent them from speaking up if they become a victim.
The art cannot be separated from the artist. When not held accountable for their actions, authors continue to profit from their harmful remarks and glorification of violence. For example, J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, has never apologized for her transphobic, homophobic, and racist behaviour, yet she remains a multi-millionaire.
To ignore the ways reading and writing are political acts is to remain in a state of ignorance. Being university students we are taught to use our critical thinking skills and we can extend this ability to reading. Yes, it is a fun hobby, but as readers, we are always in communication with society. We decipher what is true and what is not based on what we know about the political world.
The increasing popularity of book culture can be attributed to the newfound exploration of cultural industries via social media
Although the pandemic is over, its influence on our society has left lasting impacts, including the popularization of niche interests.
In this way, book culture could be classified as another victim of massification. The #booktok trend developed this niche interest into another pillar of the cultural industry due to the hype of this trend.
The cultural industry has taken over book culture through an exponential interest in this hobby due to its virality on TikTok. The massification of book culture began with the creation of #booktok, invented by Kate Wilson.
It is fantastic to see so many individuals discover their love for reading. Yet, this is only because society reads the most trending books to partake in this trend. #booktok is a great way to promote authors. However, due to its virality component, social media and capitalist industries only promote similar storylines.
Kate created a TikTok with a few of her favorite quotes pulled from books she had read. This video fostered a safe space within this social platform for book culture to thrive in the digital era.
After two years of Kate Wilson creating #booktok, this trend became heavily popularized. In my perspective, others outside the book community chose to partake in #booktok due to hype mentality. These individuals began to read books they observed trending and reproduced similar TikTok's to fit in with the current book culture.
As a materialistic society, it's no surprise that large book corporations such as Indigo viewed #booktok as a perfect marketing strategy to capitalize off book culture.
Indigo, Canada's largest book retailer, jumped on this trend by creating a virtual Indigo X TikTok Book Club. This company also curated a section within their store dedicated to books "Now Trending on #booktok.
The #booktok trend created a new market appealing to a mass culture of individuals interested in reading trending books.
As a result, social media has become a prime gateway for companies to capitalize on the book culture. Through TikTok, society has allowed corporations to capitalize on this cultural industry via supply and demand.
Colleen Hoover, for example, is an individual who gained popularity through the promotion of the publishing industry through #booktok. This author has become one of America's best-selling authors despite releasing her most famous novels over a decade ago.
Her newfound success can be attributed to the massification of book culture via the #booktok trend and the capitalization of the popularity.
With all this in mind, can we escape the book culture industry? Mass culture, capitalism, and the overarching capitalist sectors have captured society in a web of trend followers.
Although I am a massive supporter of the book community and its authors, I do not support the massification of this culture since advertised books are only trending.
It is disappointing to see book culture falling victim to social media's influence. Think about the numerous books out there that could be trending but are not due to hype mentality.
As a result, social media has become a prime gateway for companies to capitalize on the book culture. Through TikTok, society has allowed corporations to capitalize on this cultural industry via supply and demand.
It is fantastic to see so many individuals discover their love for reading. Yet, this is only because society reads the most trending books to partake in this trend. #booktok is a great way to promote authors. However, due to its virality component, social media and capitalist industries only promote similar storylines.
The #booktok trend is a great way to begin your time within the book community since you are able to connect to a plethora of individuals. However, the recommendations that arise from this trend should not be the only books you read.
This trend tends to popularize books of the same author and genre which hinders the exploration for authors of color, varying genres and usually pushes Western perspectives. I encourage you to research books outside of this trend and give them a read.
You would be surprised with what you may find, and most importantly you will be hindering the power capitalist industries and social media hold over us.
