Gen Z is bringing back reading
BookTok and Kaia Gerber help make printed books popular again


Here's a tip for older folks looking to keep up with the latest trends among young people: Go to the library.
It's a "surprising Gen Z plot twist," The Guardian said. Young adults and adolescents — folks born between 1997 and 2012 — are really into reading. Real books, the kind you find on paper. Leading the way: Kaia Gerber, the 22-year-old model-actress daughter of Gen X icon Cindy Crawford, this week launched her own book club. "Books have always been the great love of my life," Gerber said. "Reading is so sexy."
But Gen Z readers don't need an influencer to embrace books. At The Conversation, Portland State University's Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda said their research found that "Gen Zers and millennials prefer books in print over e-books and audiobooks" which has manifested in an "unlikely love affair with their local libraries." Why? Maybe it's because libraries are "free from the insipid creep of commercialism." There are no ads and fees: You simply can check out a book for free.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That's heartening news for libraries facing budget cuts and book bans, Lora Kelly said at The Atlantic. Even Gen Z respondents who don't identify as readers still like hanging out at the library, looking for "events, classes, or simply to find community." That's because modern libraries offer more than just reading material: "They are also about providing people with a 'third place' for programming, services, and socializing."
Instagram and BookTok
Technology is a big part of this story. The Wall Street Journal said Gerber's Instagram page is where "hundreds of thousands" of people have watched her interviews "with bold-faced names and authors like Lena Dunham, Jane Fonda and Emily Ratajkowski." Her new, "more formal" online book club — named Library Science — will feature even more author interviews. "Most other book clubs are geared towards millennials and moms," said one publishing executive. "But younger people read a lot too, and having a peer with great literary taste making recommendations" is still relatively rare.
Is it? One phenomenon to come out of the COVID lockdown in 2020 was BookTok, a corner of TikTok where young readers "go to find a new series, share their opinions and connect with authors," Saige Steele said at The Lumberjack, the student newspaper at Northern Arizona University. The subculture has created bestsellers and racked up billions of page views for its host platform, a "positive and healthy niche that has brought back the beloved pastime of relaxing with a good story."
But some critics say BookTok has "commodified reading," Greta Patterson said at Colorado College's The Catalyst. Influencers can turn some books into hits, or ignore worthy works that become "an instant flop." Technology has thus transformed the act of reading into just another version of "fast fashion." "The rise of influencers has increased overconsumption in every aspect of the world," Patterson said, "reading being no exception."
Socializing at 'reading parties'
Reading can be a solitary act, but it doesn't have to be. New York has seen the rise of "reading parties," Molly Young said at The New York Times. The events take place "on rooftops, in parks and at bars" where people show up, spend some time knocking out a few pages, and then "chat with strangers about what you've just read." It's a great way to spend time with people without the distractions of a smartphone, said the founder of one event. "I got an hour of reading done and I hung out with some of my best friends, which I'd wanted to do anyway," he said.
You know who loves these trends? Booksellers. "There's been all of this innovation and change, but it has reinforced reading and reinforced reading real books," said James Daunt, who oversees Barnes & Noble and British bookseller Waterstones. The Independent said that the book business was hurting a decade ago, thanks to Amazon and the rise of e-readers. Now, Daunt said, "if you look at what young people are doing now — they're reading proper books, which is fantastic."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
How often should you check your credit report?
The explainer Contrary to what you might expect, your credit report does not contain your credit score. But it does offer a lot of other valuable information.
-
Sick 9/11 responders are being left behind amid federal spending battle
The Explainer Services have been cut and restored following outcry, but staffing issues remain
-
TV to watch in May, including 'The Four Seasons' and 'Duster'
The Week Recommends A comedy from Tina Fey, a '70s crime thriller from J.J. Abrams and an adaptation from the pages of Judy Blume
-
5 refreshing books to read this May as you hop your way across spring
The Week Recommends A look at womanhood in the digital age, an ode to second chances and more
-
'Winds of Winter': A timeline of George RR Martin's progress
In Depth Westeros fans have been waiting for well over a decade, and they are going to have to keep waiting
-
Some film franchises keep cranking out sequels and reboots. These are the ones that do it best.
the week recommends 'Shrek 5' is upon us. What other movie series have deserved this many follow-ups?
-
Kneecap: the Belfast rappers courting controversy
In the Spotlight Trio, known for anti-British views and fierce support for Palestine, under fire for alleged call to murder MPs
-
Book reviews: 'Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age' and 'Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life'
Feature How AI is a parasite of humanity and a biography on the godfather of underground comix
-
Cultural copying: Western fast fashion is co-opting South Asian culture
Under the radar Reformation's new collection resembles traditional South Asian garments
-
5 films as rip-roaringly good as the books they are based on
The Week Recommends These movies stack up well against the source material
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle