What You Read in 2020

This tumultuous start to 2021 notwithstanding, we can all agree that 2020 was a year unlike any other. Brooklynites masked up and quarantined for months on end; we showed our support for frontline workers at 7pm; we took to the streets in support of Black Lives Matter; we voted in a controversial presidential election. We also read—even when the libraries and bookstores were closed.

With our doors mostly shut, it’s no surprise you started checking out eBooks and eAudiobooks more than ever before—forty-nine percent up from 2019 and still climbing! But to what books does the County of Kings turn when the world is upside down? To find the answer, I took a look at the 20 Most Popular Adult Books of 2020* and I learned so much about you—dear readers and patrons—and I am pleased to share the results.

The answer to what Brooklyn was reading resolves into two major trends: antiracism and books by women. And this made me miss you all the more!

Antiracism

The Black Lives Matter movement seems to have had a direct influence on the books we read. After all, tens of thousands of Brooklynites marched for the end of violence against black communities—in one march alone, 15,000 rallied for Black Trans Lives on June 15. The Library’s circulation data reflects this widespread demand for change: forty percent of the 20 Most Popular Adult Books of 2020 concern race or antiracism, spanning both fiction and nonfiction; fifty-five percent were authored by BIPOC; and the number one most checked-out title of 2020 was Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist, a nonfiction publication on envisioning an antiracist society. It appears that many Brooklynites not only want to do and be better, they want to decolonize and diversify their bookshelves.

Women Writers

The second most popular book on the list, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, spans both trends, being written by a woman and grappling with racism. This nonfiction title tackles the ways white people’s responses to racial confrontation can be harmful. It’s also part of the seventy percent of books written by women and non-binary authors**, forty-three percent of which identify as BIPOC. According to an article in The Atlantic, the popularity of the non-male writer is part of a nearly decade-long trend that is promising but “would have to continue for roughly 2,000 years to balance out the canon.” It’s a long journey, but it looks like Brooklyn is more than ready to work on creating that balance.

On a Personal Note

I’m thrilled to see that one of my favorite titles made it to the top twenty: Red, White & Royal Blue, an LGBTQ+rom-com about the biracial first son of the US and his relationship with the Prince of Wales, written by debut author Casey McQuiston. The fact that this story, supported by a diverse cast of queer characters, became mainstream makes me so happy. 

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

With a surge in nonfiction books on antiracism, you might think that nonfiction dominated this year. However, fifty-five percent of the books on this list are works of fiction. Considering the apparent desire to learn tools for action and change (e.g. So You Want to Talk about Race), fiction’s slight lead over nonfiction might seem unexpected. Fiction may be a vehicle for escape for many of us, particularly in 2020 when it was one of the few ways to get outside of our apartments. However, many studies show that fiction cultivates empathy and critical thinking. According to an article by the Harvard Business Review, “reading literary fiction is an effective way to enhance the brain’s ability to keep an open mind while processing information.” So while nonfiction might teach us how to do something, fiction often informs us why we want to do it. Knowing this, it makes sense that the two genres are nearly tied, even in a time that demands practical knowledge and action.

The Information as a Whole

According to the data, Brooklyn Public Library’s readers want stories from and about all races, genders and sexual orientations. Brooklynites seek stories from such prominent figures as Michelle Obama, and Circe, but they also want the stories from marginalized voices, from two black boys surviving juvenile hall in Jim Crow-era Florida to a woman growing up on a junkyard in Idaho. Brooklynites seem to want to broaden their minds, expand their horizons, take action, flex their empathy muscles, and magnify voices once hushed. It’s inspiring and I’m excited to see how these trends develop in 2021.

I don’t follow astrology personally, but I’ve heard that astrologists are predicting a new year of social engagement, collective action and humanitarianism which, to me anyway, sounds like it could be a prediction of Brooklyn’s literary trends for the coming year. Leave your predictions in the comments below and view the complete list of BPL's 20 Most Popular Adult Books of 2020 here. But don't stop there, you can also check out what the kids and teens in your community were reading in 2020.

On behalf of Brooklyn Public Library, I wish you all a belated, happy, healthy and well-read New Year.

*The books on this list are the year’s most checked-out adult titles, in both fiction and nonfiction categories, and across all formats (print, eBook, eAudiobook, etc.). Brooklyn Public Library keeps a tally of your check-outs by title in both our physical and digital platforms, then we manually combine them to reach the total checkouts for the year.
**women and non-binary were combined due to an author’s identity as she/they

Liza is an archivist-turned-librarian living in Brooklyn with her pup and husband. She enjoys foraging for new books, unearthing forgotten Brooklyn history (especially the weird bits), and arranging her personal library by color.