Do politics fit in the book social media world? Inside the 'reading is political' debate
In November, a chasm opened in the middle of one of the most popular online reading spaces.
It started after the election, as political chatter bled into BookTok. On one side of the app, readers begged users to refrain from connecting politics and novels. On the other, readers argued that these conversations are necessary because "reading is political."
That debate spread across social media spaces. United Kingdom-based YouTuber Shelley Fleuridor dissected the deliberation on her channel, watching from the outside as American BookTok creators discussed the outcome of the 2024 election and bickered about whether they should. She’d seen drama online, but nothing like this.
Now, with the presidential inauguration and a shifting political landscape, the predicament is far from resolved.
Do politics belong in book spaces?
Enter Jodi Picoult, author of “My Sister’s Keeper,” “By Any Other Name” and over two dozen other books. In a video posted to TikTok, Picoult, one of the most frequently banned authors in the U.S., stacked her books in front of the camera. She’d been receiving messages from readers asking her to stop talking about politics.
“So today, I’m just going to stick to my books,” she says in the video. “This is my book about trans rights. This is my book about a school shooting. This is my book about eugenics in America.”
In a recent interview, she tells Paste BN, “I honestly do not know of a single writer in my acquaintance who does not believe that all art is political. When we choose to tackle stories, we do it for a reason.
"Now that is not the same as forcing a political agenda on somebody, and therein lies the problem. The people who believe a book or a movie or any kind of entertainment is not political, what they're really saying is ‘I only want to see stories that fit my worldview and my echo chamber.’”
Others say they don’t want politics and BookTok to mix.
Houston-based reader Morgan Capehart took to TikTok shortly after the election to express her disappointment in the BookTok community. Reading and scrolling BookTok are stress relievers after she puts her kids to bed. She didn’t share who she voted for but said she still got hate comments for her desire to remain apolitical. She also felt frustrated at some authors posting “if you voted for this person, you need to stop buying my books, you need to unfollow me.”
“I just want to see people having fun, I don’t want it to be all serious,” she tells Paste BN. “Some things, yes, it is a serious matter, but I want it to be where everything is peaceful or … you can disagree and it be OK. I just want everyone to get along.”
Since posting her first video, she said she's found other like-minded creators who want to keep politics out of book spaces.
Independent dark romance author E.Y. Kelley said she was upset by a circulating “red list” of authors who voted for Donald Trump or said they didn’t want politics on their social media pages.
“My life as an author and my life as a human being are two very different things, and I’m not going to push what I believe on other people,” Kelley says. “All I said was that the disrespect needed to stop and that it didn't matter to me which way you voted, red or blue, or if you didn't vote at all, that I accepted whoever you were. That right there got me in trouble with a lot of people because if I wasn't willing to stand up and say that I didn't vote a certain way, then I wasn't good.”
Books are ‘inherently political,’ readers, authors argue
Capehart agrees that books can be political, but didn't like how the conversation unfolded in November, shaming users who didn't want to participate. “A book about dragons is not going to determine the outcome of the election,” she says.
Other creators argue political discussion belongs in online book communities because of the politicized nature of access to literature, today in the form of book bans and challenges. Tony Weaver Jr., author of the children’s book “Weirdo,” cited anti-literacy laws in his TikTok rebuttals. Between 1740 and 1867, these laws prohibited enslaved and free Black Americans alike from learning to read or write.
“Some people are made deeply uncomfortable by what the truth of history is, not just in the United States, but in the world at large,” the author, who is Black, says. “People do not like to contend with the fact that people that looked like me were restricted from being allowed to learn how to read, that they could be killed for knowing how to read.”
Books that appear to be escapist, he says, sometimes include the strongest political intrigue. Fantasy books deal in good and evil, with oppressive ruling empires carrying messages about power and justice. Romance books question who is worthy of love and often comment on gender dynamics and stereotypes.
Fleuridor thinks the issue comes with how we talk about politics. It’s much more than just conversations about an election, she says, it corresponds to a set of values and beliefs.
“When you acknowledge the political nature of books, it doesn't take (the fun) away because it adds depth to your enjoyment,” she says. “You understand the rather broader themes in a story. You connect them to real-world issues. You can have discussions with a wider range of individuals, and it makes the reading experience more enriching.”
For Picoult, writing entertaining books is only “half of the equation,” she says.
“The people who think that when they pick up a book, they are only meant to be whisked away and entertained are not receiving that book in the way any author intended,” Picoult says. “It is our job to entertain you. It is our job to take you away, but it's also our job to make you think when that last page is turned, about a story that was made up that has roots in reality.
"To assume that a writer doesn't either have a political view of her own or doesn't have a wish to start a conversation with a book is a very reductive way of thinking about artists," she continues.
Answering social media book influencers
Weaver’s particular bone to pick is with creators who have hundreds of thousands of followers. It’s bigger than one individual choosing an escapist book to read, he says. These creators are the voices that signal to publishers what readers care about and want to buy. And it’s a playground where not everyone stands on equal footing – the industry, and its titles, are still largely white.
The “reading is political” debate is part of a larger conversation on who gets to see themselves represented in books, who gets to be an author and who gets access to literature, Weaver argues.
“People get really excited about that idea – ‘I want to tear the empire down, I want to destroy this institution that stopped me from being with family or … this person that I’ve fallen in love with,’” Weaver says. “But then we cut to real life and I’m like ‘Hey guys! Publishing is an institution that keeps stories from getting into people’s hands and perpetuates harm in very specific ways and they go ‘Oh, woah, hey, that’s not what I’m here for.’”
Clare Mulroy is Paste BN’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, check out her recent articles, or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.