In 2021, I started cataloguing every book I could remember reading. The data surprised me and has significantly influenced my reading habits.
Graphs (data is current): https://imgur.com/a/xcJ7xdJ
Here are my biggest takeaways:
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The authors of the books I read were overwhelmingly white. Nine out of ten books were by White American, White British, or White Australian authors. Half of the books I read were set in the US or England. I realised that the perspectives I had been immersed in since childhood were far more Western-centric than I had assumed. Since then, I’ve made a concerted effort to broaden my reading. When I first created the chart, about 10% of the books I had read were by authors of colour. This year, I’ve almost reached my goal of 20%. My long-term goal is to read a much more diverse range of books – varied cultural backgrounds, languages, settings, etc.
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I was disappointed to discover that I’d read only five books by Asian authors, given that I’m an Asian Australian. I realised I had never read books that reflected my cultural experiences. Since then, I’ve read several books by second-generation Asians around the world and appreciated the shared experiences with the characters in those stories.
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I also realised I had read zero books by First Australian authors, which I wanted to change since I live in Australia. That year, I set a goal to read ten.
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Before compiling this catalogue, I mainly read what my school librarians recommended, what was popular in culture, and what my friends loved. This made me realise I need to be more intentional in seeking out books from other sources (I started with International Booker Prize winners).
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As a school teacher, I realised I needed to be way more thoughtful and proactive about the books we study in class and those available on my classroom shelves. I’ve always known this was important, but confronting my own data revealed that I was doing far worse in this area than I had thought.
Notes:
- I excluded picture books because I sadly can’t remember what I’ve read.
- I use Google Sheets. I wanted to use GoodNotes or StoryGraph, but I couldn’t find a way to chart the data I was interested in.
- If you’d like a copy of my spreadsheet, feel free to DM me. I know lots of improvements could be made in the way I’ve organised the data. Suggestions for improvement are appreciated!
by Book_Blob