There used to be a small library nestled in the middle of Mumbai’s chatter-filled streets. It was the only place I could find solace from cars honking or the occasional mother coming up to me to interrogate me about how I did on my latest German test (real story). I would find myself there at least five times a week, a small uniform-clad figure on the top of the spiral staircase that led to the children’s section, feeling like I was on the precipice of the greatest adventure. 

While my grubby hands meticulously picked out novels to load into a basket so full that it had heaved with restraint when I slid it across the floor, my eyes scrutinized each book on the shelves, looking for the ones that delighted me with their synopsis and promised to transform my bedroom walls into new worlds. 

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These books nurtured my malleable mind, their unique vernacular uniting in me a sense of both independence and community as I tried to chart my path. I agonized over clues and red herrings, climbed trees that grazed the clouds and committed treason while battling monsters in the middle of New York. Whether it was the clamor of my school bell or my mother vehemently opposing my reading at the dinner table, I, for better or worse, continued on my reading rampage, awaiting my golden ticket — my next visit to the library. 

All this to say that, put simply, I’ve always loved reading. For a litany of reasons, my favorite pastime includes delving into the pages of books and stepping into the shoes of characters in distant lands. But, I have a bone to pick with the reading community: there is a serious lack of diversity. 

This void has only been exacerbated by BookTok — the side of TikTok that discusses popular books. While the platform will occasionally shine light on marginalized authors, most books that gain popularity from this app are written by white authors. Certain genres and content are heavily publicized, eliminating thousands of books that many would enjoy but whose titles will never flash across the screen. Additionally, Shababa Iqbal writes that “TikTok’s partnership with Penguin Random House allows users to place links to books within the app, elevating certain titles but resulting in repetitive recommendations.” 

Beatrix Ambery writes that the TikTok algorithm creates an “echo chamber” because once a video is viewed about a certain book, many more videos about the same book will inadvertently follow. 

By now, we also know that TikTok’s algorithm is intrinsically racist. Similar to TikTok, the same books are recycled through the algorithm on BookTok. The common denominator between authors that gained intense popularity on BookTok — Colleen Hoover, Emily Henry and Alex Aster — is that they are all white. 

Tyler McCall states that this is an “extension of racial inequality in the publishing industry overall.” It also forces content creators to primarily create content about the very books that are going viral for their accounts to remain popular. This never-ending cycle makes it impossibly difficult to find diverse content. This is also reflected within the books themselves; in 2021, among children’s bestsellers, there were 23% fewer Black protagonists than in the year prior.   

The importance of representation cannot be overstated. It is critical for a child’s development to see themselves reflected in the books they read, and everyone should have the opportunity to find a safe space within literature. For the algorithm to start reflecting diversity, we need to actively seek out diverse books, thus making them popular. By recognizing the problem within the algorithm and taking steps to change it, we can popularize a far wider variety of new books and authors. In addition to being more mindful of which authors we read, try heading to a physical bookstore — they are often more intentional about curating their content than any algorithm.

It took me 11 years to see an Indian protagonist, something my naive mind didn’t realize it needed until I came across it. While we must hold app developers and the publishing industry accountable, making conscious choices to diversify your own bookshelf will allow others to do so too — a critical step toward creating a more representative publishing industry.