With the rise of social media, connecting with people from around the world who share your interests has never been easier. On TikTok, fellow bookworms have formed their own community known as BookTok. Here, they share book recommendations, to-be-read lists, and book reviews.
Many people on BookTok see reading as a form of escapism, as the various exciting genres provide a therapeutic nature.
As the political climate intensifies in the U.S, it’s no wonder more people are indulging in escapism. People desperately desire to unwind and relieve themselves from the chaos of today’s world.
However, BookTok’s constant, optimistic promotion of reading for purely entertainment has some issues.
It causes a clash on the app between the politically aware users’ idea that people should read for political education. This has created a new discourse that has disrupted the quiet haven of BookTok.
Reading fiction takes the reader on an exciting adventure, sculpting imaginative scenes in the mind as they read along. This adventure allows you to escape from a world festered with tumultuous politics.
Despite this, many people have started to grow frustrated with BookTokers, as they say that the community fails to educate the masses on reading’s political roots. The criticism also stems from the constant focus on only fictional genres in times where policies and laws threaten and harm marginalized communities.
Society has taught us to numb ourselves from reality through entertainment.
We’ve pushed focusing on entertainment as more important than educating ourselves on uncomfortable social issues which plague the world around us.
As society adopts more progressive ideologies, it has also adopted the idea of becoming politically educated. This is where real change starts; people must educate themselves on the issues around them to fight them correctly.
Many people argue that BookTok is the perfect way to build a bridge between politics and casual readers. Not only has social media recognized BookTok’s influence on reading, but so have major bookstore chains such as Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble. Both have adopted their own “BookTok” reading sections in their stores that contain popular books within the BookTok community.
In the U.S, from 2024-2025, 23 states and 87 public school districts banned 6,870 books, predominantly by authors of marginalized identities, that discussed racism, sexuality, gender, and history.
Many books continue to be under the threat of ban, as parents and local governments claim that the books push “woke” ideologies that “wrongly vilify” the systems in place. The highlighting of these banned books in spaces, such as BookTok, could amplify these authors’ voices and shed light on injustices to more people.
Some BookTokers disagree with the criticism. They insist that political discussion doesn’t belong in the space, as the community is a way for readers to relax and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
However, when it comes to books — regardless of genre — you’ll always find politics embedded in them.
A perfect example is “The Hunger Games” trilogy, as the series follows Katniss Everdeen in a dystopian world where she fights against her oppressive government. The books embody political themes of government rebellion and societal inequality based on class, synonymous with what society faces in real life.
Even in non-fiction books, you’ll find political commentary. Reading through a critical lens opens you up to diverse perspectives. This also helps you recognize social issues in real life or even motivate you to fight for a cause.
It’s important to stay politically educated; however, it’s also important to indulge in rest and play. Make time to read both political non-fiction and fictional books; don’t pick one over the other.
BookTok should be a place where the lines between politics and reading blur, a place that welcomes harsh conversations about societal issues on a more consistent scale, even at the cost of discomfort.
Featured image by Christin Hume on Unsplash
