On platforms like Goodreads, book lovers can set a reading goal for themselves that spans the entire year. Personally, I set a pretty high goal each year, even though I rarely meet it. Others can easily read 200 novels in a whole year, no problem. A person having a lot of free time has very little to do with how much they read in a year. This is especially true for book lovers, who will make the time to read no matter what. One New York woman is speaking up because she saw a post on BookTok that didn’t sit well with her.
Sera (@serareadthat) saw a TikTok posted by a BookToker who had some opinions about unemployed people and reading. Because, apparently, those things have a lot to do with one another. The BookToker stated, “If you know that you’re unemployed and you read 100 books, maybe don’t come on here telling other people ‘well maybe if you just put down your phone you could read 100 books, too.’” She goes on to say, “You don’t clock in period.” What she’s saying is that you shouldn’t talk about the amount of books you’re reading if you’re unemployed.
Sera speaks up and says that this is the “first year I’ve ever been unemployed against my will and it’s also the first year I’ve read less than a hundred books.” She said on a good year, she reads around 180 books. But, because of the circumstances this year tossed at Sera, she’s only been able to read nine books this year. Sera says that the reason she read so few books this year is “almost 100% attributed to my mental and emotional state with being unemployed.” She said it’s wrong of people to assume that unemployed people have all the time in the world to do what they want to do. The truth is, most are panicking as they frantically search for jobs and find ways to make money to survive.
Sera shares her own personal story about being raised by a single mom. This taught her work ethic from a young age. When she got laid off this past year, she had to move in with her mom. She said she’s “struggling to make ends meet” while living with her mom. On top of this, Sera said it’s not just being unemployed that has had an impact on her mental health and made it difficult to keep up with reading this year. She is also a black woman living in America and, as she says, suffers from “fascism fatigue.” I’m sure so many Americans can relate to that.
People need to be more understanding of other’s situations and also learn a little empathy where it counts. Sera says, “There is very little in this world that affects you less than how much someone else is reading.” It’s really none of their business. Continue to pick up books and read at your own pace, no matter what your situation. Reading is good for you and you should do it no matter your situation.
As one commenter asked, “Why is everything a competition?” to which another replied, “Because people are bored and have some superiority complex.” Another person shared, “When I was unemployed, I was so depressed I would just lay in bed and doom scroll for hours. Forget reading, I hardly knew how to take care of myself.” This is what most people miss until they experience it for themselves. No one wants to be unemployed or struggle to get by. Sadly, that’s just the hand so many individuals are given. They should still be permitted to read to their heart’s desire without judgment.
