Reading had once been my favorite hobby, and words had been as vital as air. I had entire sections of encyclopedias memorized and could rattle off chapters of the book series Percy Jackson if prompted.
Whereas I had once resorted to reading the dictionary entirely out of boredom and lack of literary material, I cannot remember the last time I had read a book purely out of interest or without the due date of an upcoming assignment looming over my head.
However, I’m not the only one to feel like this. Studies from the American Psychological Association reporting that less than 20 percent of teens read for pleasure, which is a 40 percent decrease from the last two decades alone.
The time that was once spent flipping through books has been replaced by hours of scrolling through social media platforms, with an average screen time of at least four hours daily in high school students.
Diversify Our Narrative Action Club, the book activism club on our campus that works to promote diverse books and authors in our school curriculum. They host a monthly book swap where students are encouraged to meet with other readers and discuss literature.
Freshman Ariana Alfaro enjoyed “being able to talk with other people about books and authors and reading books recommended by others.”
She also said that she “loved meeting new people with the same interests that I have.”
As someone who struggles with talking to others, having a shared love of reading helped me open up. I found myself rattling off entire synopses of novels to a stranger and fawning over the same character with a “crooked smile”.
One of the most difficult things about purchasing books is the complete lack of understanding of the book. While discovering a book’s story is arguably the sole purpose of reading a book, I tend to hesitate before purchasing a book for fear of being disappointed.
Rather than keeping books around that we can’t seem to cherish but can’t afford not to cherish, the book swap offers the opportunity to relinquish the books that seem to do little but take up space on our shelves, collecting dust.
Certain readers prefer different tropes and different genres. Even if you offer the greatest mystery book to a romance-lover, they would probably spend most of the book searching for chemistry between characters rather than the murderer.
Having people who have actually read the book can offer a genuine review of the book rather than just the vague blurb on the back of a book promising a “tale that would be sure to sweep you off your feet”.
The books brought to the book swap were from diverse genres and unfamiliar authors, which was refreshing, especially now with BookTok. With BookTok, the same books that appear on my screen while doomscrolling are the same books I find in the bookstore.
With book marketers and authors reacting to the views on social media, the bookshelves all have the same stories written with as many popular genres and tropes slotted together to check as many boxes on the checklist provided by BookTok.
While BookTok is meant to promote books, there is a lack of diverse authors, as they tend to promote white authors and specific genres such as romance. Books on the platform have been notorious for their poor writing and overuse of the same clichés.
Mostly due to the algorithm favoring certain books, influencers rush to promote the books that align with what is deemed popular. This creates a loop of the same books that continues the lack of diversity.
Diversity Our Narrative Action Club works to promote books by distinct authors who write different genres. Their book swap is another step to include diverse literature in school campuses.
They also aim to reintroduce literature to students who feel like reading is an obligation rather than a hobby.
Join them on the first and third Wednesdays of every month in room C41.