Choose Your Own Book Club: A Guest Post by Matthew Tessmer

ALA starts later this week, and one of my favorite things about ALA and PLA is the chance to meet my readers. A few years ago, at PLA in Columbus, OH, Matthew Tessmer introduced himself to me and Robin. I have kept in touch with Matthew in the ensuing years, even provided training to his library system. 

Recently, I invited Matthew to share his experience with his awesome “Choose Your Own Book Club” with all of you.

And I chose to run it, today, the beginning of the week leading up to the start of ALA Annual to remind all of you that I would love to chat with you at ALA Annual as well. Remember, you know what I look like, but I do not know what you look like. Later this week I will post my planned scheduled so you can find me, but seriously, anytime you see me, stop me. I will have stickers and pens for anyone who does.

If you are not coming to ALA, please also remember that you can reach out to me anytime via email. Ask a question or tell me about something you are doing at your library. It might lead to you sharing with others here on the blog like it did for Matthew.

Speaking of, take it away Matthew...

Thanks to Becky for the opportunity to talk about a reader’s advisory program for adults I’ve been having success with at my library! The program is a free choice book club we host at the library called “Choose Your Own Book Club.” Here’s the description we publicize: “Connect with fellow readers and grow your reading list in this casual book discussion group. Join us to talk about the books you've read or are currently reading.” At the program, each participant gets the floor to discuss their reading life, which usually consists of recounting their most recent reads and why they did or didn’t enjoy them. We’ve grown into a lovely group representing a wide range of demographics and reading tastes. I’m excited to talk about it here not because of how nice of a group or program it is, but for the way it inspires and challenges me to reflect on and put into practice the great RA ideas I have learned from this blog and other like-minded resources.

First, I have found that this program works well to establish and promote the library as the place for bookish conversation. Recently, Becky highlighted our problem of assuming readers know we offer book suggestions instead of actively working to show them. We have made that mistake at my library, too - this program is one of our ways to fix it that aligns with other steps we have taken to better reach our community. One of our long-term goals the past few years has been to strengthen our marketing, especially when it comes to our program offerings. When we were considering how to strengthen our reader services, a natural extension was to create this program focused exclusively on readers’ advisory. The entire program is focused on “cultivating an atmosphere of conversation around books.” Participants get the chance to take the stage and share their book recs and commiserate on reads that didn’t hit the mark. These discussions often lead into some conversation starters. For example, one of the readers expressed an interest in reading more “classics” - this turned into a discussion of what the term “classic” means and led to each member sharing their criteria for “classics” and a book recommendation. Importantly, we don’t stop the conversation when the program ends. I love to tell the program participants that they can keep the conversation going at any time by talking to any library staff person at our service desks, and to encourage their friends who can’t make the program time especially to come do what we love most - talk books!

Second, in addition to taking the opportunity to discuss my personal reading life, I use this program as basically a live display of books I want to highlight and “unshelve” from the collection. My practice of doing this has evolved. At first, I was pretty strict about developing a monthly theme for the materials I would pull out of the collection to highlight. But as Becky has pointed out, limiting the selections in this way doesn’t actually serve the readers in this program. Instead, I share monthly “books that have caught my interest” so that my choices can be more inclusive and more of the program’s readers can be drawn to this live display.

Third, I would be doing the program participants a disservice if I didn’t approach the bookish conversations and unshelved books through an anti-racist lens that elevates and celebrates marginalized voices. I wish I could say that this point goes without saying, but between the active threats to the freedom to read and the complacency of those who (wrongly) think reading and RA service can be apolitical, loudly continuing anti-racist and inclusive reader services is essential. In this program, it looks like making sure that inclusive book display procedures are followed for the books I unshelve. It means getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and sharing additional information and book suggestions when a participant discusses a title like American Dirt. It means making and keeping personal reading goals to read widely and diversely. Being actively anti-racist is the table stakes for being a part of the solution instead of the problem in librarianship. I’m grateful for the part this program plays in keeping me committed and accountable to anti-racist reader services.

And fourth, this program has broadened my view of RA service from transactional reading suggestions towards a wide-ranging service that advances everyday readers’ autonomy. As our readerly community has formed, we spend as much time discussing our reading lives as we do talking about the reading material. These conversations can involve: 1) reflecting on reading tastes as a whole and what impacts them (previous reads, time, place, mood), 2) whether or not certain reading choices make for a “real” reader (both audiobooks and romance are, in fact, real reading!) and 3) affirming the choices readers make for their reading lives (DNF that book if it isn’t working for you!). Each of these are an example of promoting readerly autonomy, as explored in a panel presentation at ALA Annual 2025 by Rutgers Assistant Professor E. E. Lawrence. Here, RA is an autonomy-enabling service that supports patrons in making the choices that steer their own reading lives.

I’ve learned so much from RAforAll over the years, so it’s a dream to get a chance to share this program here. While I don’t think there’s anything ground-breaking being done in this program, I hope it inspires you to continue to reflect on your current programs and services to leisure readers. I know I’ll be back here tomorrow to read and learn something new!

--Matthew Tessmer

Public Services Librarian

Albert Lea Public Library

Revisiting My Most Popular Guest Post of 2025: Library Staff Are Not Superheroes: by Robin Bradford

As we creep closer to the end of the year, I like to look back on the most popular posts on the blog, highlighting what you found the most connect with.

Before I share a specific post, I want to thank you all for staying with me all these years. I had over 1.41 million views in 2025 (still counting). 

Today I have 2025's most popular post written by someone other than me. Itt was by Robin Bradford, originally posted on January 13, 2025 here and below.

Library Staff Are Not Superheroes: a Guest Post by Robin Bradford

Just before the new year, Robin and I were chatting and she sent me this text: "Can I come to a guest post on our blog that libraries are NOT heroes?!?." I immediately wrote back "YES," with the full knowledge that she was only half joking and the understanding that if I told her I wanted it, she would actually do it. 

And as you can see, I was correct. So I present, "Library Staff Are Not Superheroes" by Robin Bradford with a meme created by her as well. This post is important. Please read, but also pass on. It needs to spread further than RA and Collection Development circles. Thanks in advance from Robin and me.

Meme by Robin Bradford

Library staff are not superheroes. They’re not magical, or extraordinary, or phenomenal. It’s flattering to be thought of this way, to be sure. Who doesn’t want to be seen as fighting for truth, justice, and the American way? A book for every reader, and every reader its book! There are 2 problems with hanging this burden on library staff

First problem, library staff are not superhuman. They are people who work for money. Money that pays the rent or mortgage. It pays for the utilities, and food, and transportation. If they’re lucky it pays for holiday gifts, and childcare, and evenings out, and conferences, and (ironically) books, and other things that bring joy to everyday life. No one is getting rich off of library work, but, like any other full-time job, it should pay a living wage at every level. Library work is underpaid across the country, and probably beyond, and that isn’t helped by insinuating that library staff are working for things like “the love of the work” or that they are “superheroes.” It is possible that library staff DO love their work. Many do, but not all. But what they all want is to be paid a wage that supports their life. And that’s before we get into the security issues, or the mission expansion without the accompanying staff expansion. “Do more with less” has been a library motto for years, and eventually people burn out. Do you know why? Because they are not superheroes. Library staff often perform superhuman *feats* that don’t quite equate to the mother getting a surge of adrenaline to lift a car off her child, but even in urban legends, that mother lifts the car off her kid just the one time. It isn’t something she has to do every single day! And it’s only her own kid that gives her that boost of adrenaline, not every kid in the neighborhood. Library staff certainly aren’t the only group of workers who do work that is socially, but not monetarily, applauded. So let’s applaud by recognizing that the work they do is damn hard, as well as damn important, and they don’t have the benefit of superpowers to get them through the workweek. 

Second problem: not all library staff are created equal. Not all library staff believe in the intellectual freedom espoused by the profession. Not all library staff believe people should be able to see themselves on the shelves. Not all library staff believe in promoting books by authors, or featuring characters, that look, act, think, worship, or love differently than what the library staff member is familiar and/or comfortable with. You think this is inherent in the profession and it comes with the job, but it does not. There are plenty of library staff who would prefer to limit availability to some books. There may even be some joining or advising those groups you hear about so they know just how to go about making inroads in the community. There are library staff members who are removing books from certain sections of the library, or from the library altogether, because they are afraid of objections from community members. There are library staff members who are refusing to buy books uplifting marginalized communities at all. Library staff are not all the same. 

So painting us all with the broad superhero brush is flattering, but unhelpful because we need to be held to account. When libraries have books and/or programs that promote a diverse and progressive world, it can’t be written off as expected. It is, often, extraordinary. Send off a quick email to the library about how glad you are to see such books on the shelves and how you want more of it. Make a big deal out of it because it might, in fact, be a big deal! You never know the fight that had to happen for that book to be purchased or displayed. And if you are not seeing those things, send an email asking where they are. Let it be known that you expect the library to reflect the world and you notice how narrow the worldview is on the shelves. 

Libraries are a wonderful community resource, but they are not mythical entities. They are real, they require real money to provide the services people enjoy, and the people who work in them both deserve to be fairly compensated for the jobs they do. And when they fall behind in providing services that represent a diversity of voices, the community must insist they change course and hold them to it.  

After all, we’re only human.   

Just Say No to AI: Talking Openly About Ghostwriting

This post is part of a series entitled, "Just Say Not to AI." Click here to pull up all the posts in this series (in reverse chronological order). For the first post in this series, click here.

Why do I want to talk about ghostwriting all of a sudden? It is because the ghostwriters are actively talking to the world about who they are and what they do. And, a lot of it is fueled by a "Just Say No to AI" undercurrent.

We all know that ghostwriting is a huge part of why and how some of the best selling popular memoirs get on our shelves. I have always been thankful for the work these writers do because the books they help write get people into the library, especially those people who don't consider themselves library users or even readers.

Recently there was a conference of ghostwriters and the New York Times wrote about it here (gift link). 

One of the groups mentioned in the article is The Gotham Ghostwriters. From their "About" page:

We’re in the Trust Business

While we may be a ghostwriting agency on paper, we’re really in the trust business. Our clients are looking for more than a good writer — they want a true partner devoted to their success. This means that while credentials matter, chemistry matters more. If the client and the writer don’t click, the relationship won’t stick — and most likely neither will the story.

Our Method

That’s why, before a connection is made or a word written, the first and most vital service we provide is to listen — to your passions, your principles, and your priorities. We will pay close attention to what is motivating you to tell your story, what you want to accomplish in doing so, and what kind of collaborator will mesh best with your style. And throughout the process, just as you’d expect from a true partner, we will talk straight and be transparent with you about the costs and tradeoffs involved in the writer selection and publishing process. No upselling, no pressure tactics, and no bait and switches.

Our Team

We’re ex-agents and ex-editors, and we are your guide to navigating the path from idea to manuscript to published book. 

Our Core Services

We work with clients on books, book proposals, speeches, and thought leadership content.

This group is out there connecting people who need a ghostwriter, with the writers, and in fact, they organized the conference in the article. 

They have a separate arm for the writers they work with. They act like an agent connecting the writers with their clients. More info on their writers' network here.

This is a lot of background but I give it here so you understand the full picture. The short version is-- ghostwriting is coming out of the shadows because these authors deserve to be lauded for the work they do. They are helping some of our bestselling books even get on the shelves.

But also, hiding the fact that they are part of the process is very harmful. Without acknowledging the work of human helpers, the entire industry of celebrity and/or famous people memoirs could get inundated by AI slop. If we are not 100% clear that a human who is NOT the famous person on the cover took time and care to write the books, many people who want their stories out into the world might think AI can just do it for them.

Let me be even clearer-- having ghostwriters come out from the shadows is important for all of us to fight AI created books from becoming more prevalent. 

Gotham Ghostwriters didn't just host a conference-- which was a great way to connect all the people involved and get the word out-- but they also host an award-- The Andy Awards for Nonfiction Book Collaboration:

The Andy Awards for Nonfiction Book Collaboration™ honor the spirit of collaboration—the AND—in nonfiction book writing. The only award for ghostwriters and paid collaborators, the awards are jointly presented by Gotham Ghostwriters and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, bringing collaboration out of the shadows and into a well-deserved spotlight. 

Both Author and Paid Collaborator must jointly submit the book for consideration and agree to share the award. 

I love that the author and "paid collaborator" need to work together here. They are both honoring the best nonfiction book collaborations and making sure the partnership itself is being spotlit. 

They just announced the 2025 winners here. That link includes all of the finalists as well. There are books here I know you have at your library. Also, if you scroll down, you can see 2024's lists and more resources. 2024 was the first year of this award.

Although this post has a lot of useful info, I also thought it needed the perspective of an actual ghostwriter. Good thing that I know one. Scott Kenemore is a speculative fiction writer, member of the HWA (among other writers groups), and a prolific ghostwriter. You probably have books by him and those he had ghost written-- both-- on your shelves.

I asked Scott to write about his experience as a ghost writer to help you understand everything I am trying to get across here today.

Take it away Scott.

The Accidental Ghostwriter
By Scott Kenemore

I’m pleased to be asked by Becky to share some thoughts about working as a ghostwriter. It is something I very much fell into accidentally and never directly pursued. Yet, if readers of Becky’s blog are interested in possibly working as ghostwriters themselves, I hope that a brief accounting of my experience can be at least slightly helpful.

First of all, I feel like ghostwriters like to dance around the substantive details of their profession/avocation, so let me try to NOT do that here…

I ghostwrite about two books a year. I make more money ghostwriting than I do from my creative writing, but less than from my day job in corporate communications. (It is nice extra money, but you wouldn’t want to try to live on it.) Because I’ve been doing it for 15+ years, most ghostwriting inquiries now come to me; that is to say, I don’t have to hang out a shingle to get work.

I enjoy ghostwriting because I’m an introverted, quiet person, and ghostwriting forces me to go out and meet (or at least Zoom with) really interesting people. In the course of this work, I’ve met YouTubers who have become millionaires at half my age. I’ve met mafia soldiers who have “wacked” people (and were nearly “wacked” themselves).* I’ve met CIA and FBI agents. And I have met oodles and oodles AND OODLES of aspiring leaders in business, finance, and the arts.

I am very blessed to work a full time job in addition to my own creative writing and ghostwriting. I grew up in a family that imploded financially. My parents required a lot of financial help from me, especially toward the end of their lives. I have always had to make my way myself, and to hustle whatever jobs I could get. I don’t think that mindset will ever entirely go away, and I’ll probably always be open to setting aside nights and weekends for ghostwriting work.

I am, however, sort of suspicious – if that is the correct word – of people who are interested in ghostwriting ONLY for the monetary aspect. Whenever another writer is impressed by what I got paid to ghostwrite something, I always want to say: “Well, if you think that’s impressive, you know something else you could write – for even MORE money? The annual report for Goldman Sachs. And also, you could just go be an investment banker. Why not just do that instead, if money is the only goal?”

So anyhow, my first experience with ghostwriting probably came in 2002 when I moved to Iowa City and did some manuscript editing for Cheeni Rao at Iowa Book Doctors. People would send Iowa Book Doctors novels they couldn’t get published, and MFAs like me would punch them up and send them back. (I think we generally did more good than harm. Generally.)

After my first book – a horror themed self-help satire called THE ZEN OF ZOMBIE – was published in 2007, people started reaching out to me for assistance with editing and writing projects. Occasionally, my publisher would ask me to “punch up” a book that had already been written. Other times, I might be asked to work with someone who was an expert in a particular field and help them write a book from scratch.

Many of the “secrets” for building success in ghostwriting are traits and practices that would help anybody succeed in any field, anywhere. For example:

· Always do good work.

· Work quickly and try never to need extra time or ask for extensions.

· Be personable and kind to everyone you interact with.

· Don’t ask for too much money, at least not at first.

· Cultivate good social skills and interviewing skills; as a ghostwriter, you’ll be interacting with a wide variety of personality types.

· Don’t take things personally. You may deal with clients who insult you and/or your work. You may deal with clients who call your excellent suggestions terrible, and think that their own awful ideas are good. You’ll need to manage “strong personalities.” Remind yourself that all clients are temporary.

And when it comes to best practices specifically related to ghostwriting, I’d add:

· Try to get the hang of figuring out how someone’s life can fit into the accepted story arcs that people expect when they pick up a book. (Manuals like Robert McKee’s STORY or even Joseph Campbell’s THE HERO’S JOURNEY are not bad places to start if this is new territory for you.)

· Be flexible about your relationship to the work. For example, you may have clients who want it to remain super duper secret that they used a ghostwriter. They won’t want you to tell even your own husband/wife/partner that you worked on their book. Other clients may want the “with Scott Kenemore” beneath their name to be big and bold because they desire total deniability for the project. If someone dislikes part of the book (or the WHOLE book), they want to be able to say: “Yeah, THAT part? That was all the stupid ghostwriter.”

· Read the kind of books you’re going to be ghostwriting. For example, if you are hired to ghostwrite a “How to succeed in business” book, you should read several contemporary books in that category/genre.

· Keep in mind that many projects will fall apart or fail. That’s OK and normal. About one-third of the projects I’m contracted to do fall apart in some way and never get to the finish line. It’s frustrating, but apparently part of the gig. Always get an advance or negotiate a “kill fee” with an eye to this contingency.

I don’t know if I am typical, but ghostwriting seems to come about gradually. I always tried to do excellent work, quickly, and without asking for too much money – and I did that for a LONG TIME. I was reliable and consistently delivered. I could successfully tolerate strong personalities. This approach always led to more opportunities, and my terms and fees slowly improved. (When I get asked if I can do something now – but at a price point that’s too low for me – I try to share the wealth and refer the job to a writer who is trying to start out in ghostwriting.)

At this juncture in the essay, I’m acutely aware that my tale may be disappointing because: I can tell you how to become a ghostwriter over many, many years… but not quickly. And most people want things quickly. (Including me! I don’t want to read a book about how to become a millionaire by the time I’m 80. I want to get rich quick! I want that money now! Ah well.)

After all these years, I still enjoy ghostwriting because it’s a good way to meet interesting people and make extra money while still “being a writer” and pursuing my/your own creative work. Certainly, I have had times when I’ve taken on a whole bunch of ghostwriting to try to reach some financial milestone, but I never wanted to be “just a ghostwriter” for the money forever. (Again, just go work for Goldman Sachs or found a tech company if that’s you. It’s a much, much easier route to financial freedom.) But I’m fine with a life where ghostwriting is “part of the mix.” Two of my biggest literary heroes – HP Lovecraft and Gore Vidal – both did ghostwriting. It is certainly not beneath me. I still enjoy the challenge of learning all I can about a new topic and then working with my collaborator to turn it into an excellent book. But I think the GREATEST honor in ghostwriting is to be asked to help someone tell their personal life story, or the story of their family. To do that kind of work well, you can’t fake it. You really have to give a damn. I always try to.

To conclude then: Do good work. Give a damn. Be nice. Meet deadlines. Don’t take it personally. Cultivate your interpersonal and social skills – especially if you’re an introvert like me. Accept that it may take years to build a place for yourself in the racket.

And, oh yeah, good luck out there.

*The most disappointing thing I have ever learned in the course of ghostwriting is that mafia members do not actually say “wack.” Instead, they say things like: “He had to go away” or “He couldn’t be around anymore.”

But I still like saying wack.

Wack.

Unshelve the Titles That Have Become Lost in the Stacks via Lila Denning's Blog

I am on deadline for my Library Journal October column today. I will easily get it done, but I need every brain cell, so today I am calling in backup...kind of. Lila Denning's Passively Recommending Books blog is a great resource for no nonsense display information.

In a post from a few weeks ago, she alludes to an exchange that happened during the ALA Annual panel we were on for Booklist. There was a person in the audience who took offense to my saying that authors like Stephen King, Nora Roberts, and James Patterson should NOT ever be pulled out for display because they don't need the help to circulate. Instead, our focus should always be on the books people would not find without our help. You can read a much longer post on this by me here.

While Lila was one of the panelists who answered her in person, she also wrote this post after we returned. While it does not refer to the person directly, it does expound upon the points we were all trying to make in that ALA presentation.

Take it away Lila. And while you are reading her post, click through to see how else her blog-- Passively Recommending Books-- can help you help your patrons better. 

Unshelve the Titles That Have Become Lost in the Stacks

by Lila Denning 

 When librarians involved in readers advisory trainings advise library workers to avoid putting bestsellers on a display, there is often a lot of pushback. No one is suggesting that you not buy the most popular authors or those breakout hit titles. What is being suggested is since book displays are a form of marketing for your collection, it makes no sense to waste that space and effort on the titles with long wait lists and a solid fan base. If you have a long list for Rebecca Yarros, you don't need to promote her books. (Other than using them as a source for "read this while you wait for ..." displays.)

Remember that what needs attention at one library will be different at another. There can be genres, authors, and titles that fly off the shelf at one library but languish at another. I can't tell you which titles need attention at your library but whomever runs reports for you can do that. Because it is your collection and your library, you will need to adapt whatever collection marketing ideas to your library. 

Rather than worry about creating something super creative with a snappy sign, start with some reports that list titles which haven't circulated in awhile. Look at what new releases haven't found their reader yet. Make a sign that says NEW! or FICTION! or CHECK US OUT! and put up your display. What gets books checked out is the face out and the creation of a smaller collection on the display.l Someone on staff may find a book they love on that display and can hand sell it to a patron who needs a great read. By investing some attention in in those titles, you will have given them another chance before they are deselected. 

I also suggest that libraries invest in easels for their shelves. At the end of your shelves, put one title on an easel. Titles faced out like that will get attention and will likely find their reader. It's a low effort way to promote your collection that everyone in your library can fill them in when they pass an empty easel. It's not a huge investment but will have a great payoff as far as getting titles in the hands of reader

Click through to read more on Passively Recommending Books. 

Steal This Idea: NPR Book of the Day Podcast As an Easy and Timely Book Display Prompt via Passively Recommending Books

Today to round out the week I am posting a great idea from my colleague Lila Denning (with her permission), from over on her blog-- Passively Recommending Books.

This is an evergreen idea that you can use for a display that is swapped out every day  or weekly by showcasing the previous weeks titles. But the best part is, it will be timely AND you are using resources to give you your display ideas and content. 

Side note-- to be announced soon, but Denning will be appearing on a panel with me and Robin Bradford and others at ALA Annual. It is sponsored by Booklist and moderated by Susan Maguire. Once it is officially added to the schedule, I will post the details on the blog.

In the meantime, see below for more details and ideas from Denning on this specific topic.

Unshelving Your Collection Idea- NPR Book of the Day

One quick and easy way to get some readers advisory information about recently published books is to listen to NPR's podcast Book of the Day. From their website: 

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

 While this is certainly something that library staff should be encouraged to listen to when not at a public service desk, it's also an opportunity for a quick and easy book display that will be small enough that it can be fit in almost anywhere in a library. 

If you don't own that book, you can skip a day. Remember to check your eBook and eAudiobook collections as well. A book display in your library can also reference those collections to remind patrons that you are a source of digital materials as well. It's also a great readers advisory post for social media. 

Here is an example of a sign that could be posted on a public service desk: 

'Adventures in the Louvre' will teach you how to fall in love with the famous museum

Scan this code to check out this book from our eBook collection!

April 15, 2025

From NPR.org: 

Elaine Sciolino has one mantra: "Never go to the Louvre on an empty stomach or with a full bladder." The former Paris bureau chief of The New York Times has written a guide filled with her best advice for enjoying the world's most-visited museum. Her new book, Adventures in the Louvre, is part journalism, part memoir and part art history. In today's episode, Sciolino speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the contested origins of the museum's name, the staff's love-hate relationship with the Mona Lisa, and why some Louvre visitors might feel underwhelmed.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Support our local NPR station! [Name of station] [website]

W. W. Norton & Company

Be certain to credit NPR and the publishers when you use their text and images. I would reference your local NPR station in case patrons want to listen as well as NPR.org

All Reading is Political, All RA is Political: Some Thoughts For Consideration a Guest Post by Misha Stone

My colleague Misha Stone, who wrote this excellent post for me back in June 2024, reached out with some thoughts and ideas for a new guest post. We chatted about her idea and I knew I wanted her to develop it for today.

Why today? I mean, you know why. The title of her post is, "All Reading is Political, All RA is Political: Some Thoughts For Consideration."

As we are about to enter 4 more years of a Trump Presidency beginning on MLK Jr Day, well that timing was something I feel needed to be acknowledged. I was already thinking of things to write about when Stone had this idea. Thank you to her for developing it with the knowledge that it would go live on this specific day.

Please know, I am committed to staying as vocal and disruptive on issues of DEI, anti-racist, and belonging as I have always been. I will not back down. And, as we have always been, Robin and I are here to help you through difficult situations at your library, no matter what state you live in. We have contacts, proven tactics, and official partners that we can either connect you to or speak to on your behalf without giving up your identity. I will also be soliciting more guest posts from people who can help in the coming months.

Look, if I can train in a state where DEI is literally illegal but work with the person who hired me to still embed those strong DEI and anti-racist messages into my training, I can help anyone.

Thank you to Stone who uses both research and her personal experience to remind us all that RA is a place where we must make a stand.

All Reading is Political, All RA is Political: Some Thoughts For Consideration

by Misha Stone (she/her)

Post-election, #BookTok entered the political fray, and many media outlets took notice when popular accounts claimed that they were apolitical and that icky politics shouldn’t enter into reading spaces. More critically engaged #BookTok accounts and book influencers on a variety of other platforms pushed back on the notion that reading can or should be apolitical.

Nathan Shuherk aka Schizophrenic Reads captured this brilliantly on his Substack post, “On the Politics of BookTok.” His take on the book influencers who decried addressing or acknowledging politics is spot on:

“These readers want to be left alone to enjoy their non-political books about a young woman that leads a revolution to overthrow a tyrant king or the witch that slays those damned dragons that cannot stop themselves from accumulating everything of value or something more relaxing like the cute and comforting love between two teenage boys. These readers spend hours and hours looking at pages without reading. They’ve devoted their finances and entire persona to becoming a reader, but they don’t understand the stories they’re ravenously consuming. They cling to escapism, not because they want to quiet their minds from the cacophony of breaking news stories of cities being washed away in floods and the screams of children massacred in a genocide, but because they’re escaping from thinking. They pour over pages and pages and don’t know what they’re reading. They might be able to define the words on the page, but they certainly don’t understand what a story is  . . . or what stories can and should be.”

While there are many reasons that people read, many moods and emotional experiences that reading meets, and readers’ advisors are charged to help readers meet those moments with the stories that will entertain and engage them most, none of this is done in a neutral zone where politics do not exist. The bookish account Ad Astra does a good job of pointing out concretely the ways in which all reading, all publishing, and all books are political. In a recent Instagram post, Ad Astra said that thinking your reading isn’t political only makes it more so: “You’re choosing to actively ignore all of the factors that go into your ability to access that book, the author’s writing of that book, and the book’s publication. Ignoring these factors is a privilege.”

Those that want to believe their reading is not political want to retreat to a world in which none of their choices are socially informed or make societal impacts, but they are and they do. (One only need to look at the overwhelming whiteness of the Goodreads Best Books of 2024 winners, awarded via user polls.) It is political that publishing predominantly provides books by white authors centering white characters. Not seeing how this remains the default in publishing or reading blithely without engaging with the normative defaults in society and publishing does not free readers from the powers that have enabled and supported this reading experience.

In How To Read Now, Elaine Castillo addresses this more bluntly: "White supremacy makes for terrible readers, I find. The thing is, often when people talk about racists, they talk in terms of ignorance. They're just ignorant, they say. Such ignorant people. I'm sorry, my grandpa's really ignorant. That was an ignorant thing to say. What an ignorant comment. We're besieged on all sides by the comforting logic and pathos of ignorance. It's logic that excuses people--bad readers--from their actions; from the living effect of their bad reading. Most people are not, in fact, all that ignorant, i.e., lacking in knowledge, or simply unaware. Bad reading isn't a question of people undereducated in a more equitable and progressive understanding of what it means to be a person among other people. Most people are vastly overeducated: overeducated in white supremacy, in patriarchy, in heteronormativity. Most people are in fact advanced in their education in these economies, economies that say, very plainly, that cis straight white lives are inherently more valuable, interesting, and noble than the lives of everyone else; that they deserve to be set in stone, centered in every narrative. It's not a question of bringing people out of their ignorance--if only someone had told me that Filipinos were human, I wouldn't have massacred all of them!--but a question of bringing people out of their deliberately extensive education."

Shouldn’t our work with readers challenge white supremacist status quo in publishing? Actively anti-racist practitioners of RA believe that our mission is bound up in challenging systemic inequity and that diversifying our own reading habits and tastes and those of our readers are aligned to serving the reader. 

Rutgers Assistant Professor E. E. Lawrence’s recent paper, “Of acquisitions and interference: accounting for systemic threats to the freedom to read,” posits that the inequity baked into publishing, as also supported by “comps,” infringes on the freedom to read; readers already do not have a wide availability of the choices they should have due to the very nature of inequity in publishing. Lawrence says:

“Here, greater freedom is positively correlated with a greater diversity of options, and so racial inequality operates as a constraint on both. The problem and its remedy are then matters of distribution, in the sense that they must redress the improper allocation of material resources (either directly through books produced or indirectly through the constitution of the workforce). Put simply, if the central issue for the reader is inadequate diversity of available titles, the solution is to increase that diversity: to find or publish titles that fill in the relevant gaps (see ALA, 2017, 182/2019). The library thus performs a kind of corrective function, countering racial disparities in the marketplace by supplying texts by those authors that the mainstream publishing industry excludes, and so restoring the material conditions necessary to sovereign consumption.”

A commitment to actively anti-racist readers’ advisory asks us to acknowledge our role as a corrective in a publishing industry and society which has been historically and currently inequitable. This means acknowledging that all reading is political, and that all books are imbued with the context of the moment and the market in which they are created.

I work in a city with a beloved adult summer reading program that just celebrated its 10th year. One of the chief values it has upheld over the years (and this can be objectively observed) is to stretch readers to try new things–new genres, new authors, books written by people with different lived experiences, and more. In essence, this has been a program designed both to engage and activate adult readers over the summer, but it was also designed with addressing inequity in publishing and book marketing in mind. So, when readers comment online that they want fewer social justice categories, for example, it underscores the very issues that emerged in BookTok spaces following the election. 

Some people want to read for “fun” and do not equate reading diversely as “fun.” The diversity they seek to avoid, but rarely name, are books written by or about people who are not white, cis, heterosexual, or able-bodied. Many readers do enjoy exploring new genres and crave representation and even social critique in their reading; for many readers, challenging themselves and trying new things,and even problematizing their worldviews, can provide unexpected rewards and delight. 

Why, then, do readers think that enjoyment or even “vibes” can’t be found in books that might also challenge them? Some readers are not interested in reading books that will not make them think or question, or reconsider, or that do not center and validate their experiences. We can help those readers find what they enjoy, but there is also a whole apparatus of publishing and marketing geared to helping them. My colleague Genesee Rickel put it this way: “No one says you can't read for fun, or read mostly (if not all!) lighthearted stories. If you think you can only find these stories by and featuring white characters, that's the problem. Humans contain multitudes, and even at our lightest and fluffiest, we are political. Our societies are governed by political structures and politically-influenced interpersonal dynamics. It just is. Claiming this to not be the case highlights a certain lived experience that is still backed up by politics - an existence of white (and perhaps other) privilege.” 

My friend Katie Baker added: “And I guess my question is why so many people want to avoid politics altogether when for so many people existing is political.” There is nothing wrong with reading for escape and reading as escapism is important. Margaret Killjoy recently wrote about the value of escapism, quoting Tolkein and Le Guin on their thoughts on the importance of escapism. But if all you want, in all of your reading, is to escape witnessing the pain and suffering of others, that is a different matter altogether.

Readers’ advisory has a history of neutrality that started with the very noble task of dismantling snobbery towards leisure readers. But neutrality is not a place we can remain in an inequitable society. I am not saying that there is one way to approach readers’ advisory by any means, but ameliorating some of the corrosive notions at the heart of our culture–like racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, fatphobia, ableism, anti-Semitism, and more—should be discussed and considered in our work with readers. We can validate the reader, help them find their next good book, while also pushing back in small ways on notions that work against a pluralist understanding of belonging in our communities.

I will leave you with bookseller Josh Cook’s thoughts, from his chapbook/zine, The Least We Can Do: White Supremacy, Free Speech, and Independent Bookstores (also contained in his book The Art of Libromancy):

"Through staff picks, shelf-talkers, displays, events, recommendations, conversations with readers, and on all of our platforms both physical and digital, booksellers should advocate for marginalized voices and communities, center own voices, guide readers to the books and authors that will help them grow and develop as readers, take risks to bring attention to books that might make some readers uncomfortable, use books to show how big the world is, be willing to lose the occasional sale because you have been honest with your readers about a book or an author, respect your readers' intelligence in what books you talk about and how you talk about them, and talk back to publishers and other media in ways that develop and support that vital national discourse. Every shift, every single shift, at an independent bookstore is an opportunity for antifascist, antiracist, anti-supremacist, and anti-misogynist advocacy. What a privilege that is.”

Let’s keep talking about how our work with readers is politically and socially situated. What can we do to expand the freedom to read by using our sphere of influence to affect publishing and reading? Let’s keep interrogating the nature of our work, and what it might look like in the future. In her recent book, The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote: “We live in the tension between what is and what is possible.”

What a privilege, indeed.