A Growing Focus on Taboo Topics Within the Book Community
The past few years, topics discussed in book communities have changed, which can be attributed to the larger societal focus on things like mental health and other topics that have previously been seen as taboos (Bogdan 21). This has affected the way people discuss and engage with books and book content. Because book communities like the ones seen on “BookTok” (book TikTok) and “BookTube” (book YouTube) are now in charge of what becomes popular on social media, they are also able to participate in shaping trends within literature and start up conversations about what readers want to see more of in books.
By Anna Sofie Stensgaard Goldau
24-09- 2025
Authors Can Now Write From Experience
Writers globally are writing more and more about their own challenges and experiences, both in fiction and in autobiographical works. They publish works about their experiences with things like anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD, etc., and many readers view it as honest and necessary.
Because book communities on social media have such a big influence on literary trends, they sometimes do a lot more than make a book popular on social media. One example of this is Lancali’s I Fell in Love with Hope, a novel about two terminally ill people based on the author’s own experiences. Originally, publishers rejected the book because it was “too mature” because of its topics. The book was originally a self-published novel and later got traditionally published because the book community on social media made it so popular (Plunk). Another notable example is Olivie Blake’s Alone With You in the Ether, which is a story about a main character with bipolar disorder, written by an author who also has bipolar disorder. This book also started out self-published and later got traditionally published because of the growing interest on social media (“Tor UK”).
One of the most popular fantasy duologies, Six of Crows, has a main character with dyslexia, one with ADHD, and one with a physical disability who uses a crane, like the author, and has haphephobia. The duology also features several LGBTQ+ characters (Leary). There is a growing interest, or at the very least a lack of aversion, in reading books about these taboo topics, and many of the popular books including the topics are written by authors who are writing from experience.
Recently, Jennette McCurdy released the book I’m Glad My Mom Died, where the title itself is a big taboo topic. Many young people loved this book, and it grew popular immediately. In the book, McCurdy talks about her experience with eating disorders and her mother’s psychological abuse, among other things. Many people thought the title was too much, but McCurdy thought that people who had experienced the same kind of abuse would be able to recognize the feeling, so it was not something she wanted to hide (Clark).
What these books have in common is that they all include or revolve around taboo topics, like terminal and mental illnesses, LGBTQ+ characters, or disabilities. When readers choose to make these stories popular, it shows an openness to exploring and learning more about these topics. It opens up doors for authors with experiences like these to write about them because there is a broader audience, and the publishers know now that people are interested.
Readers Prioritize Emotion
Often, social media users tend to interact with content that affects them emotionally (Landert 32), and since the book community has grown so large on social media, they have started sharing emotional content about books as well, such as videos of themselves crying while reading a book, and emotional book reviews. Book reviews are no longer just about the quality of the plot or the language but more about how the book affects the reader emotionally.
That is not to say that the popular books on social media are intellectually bad books, just that online book communities tend to prioritize the emotional reviews over the more analytical, intellectual reviews that have traditionally been the priority within book reviewing.
This development means that readers are likely to seek out books they know had an emotional impact on others. A book being able to bring out tears in someone is often enough for it to gain popularity on social media. In this way, reading is becoming a social experience where readers do not just want to experience the emotions themselves but to share them too, because emotional content often gets the most interactions (Dera 2).
Likes, however, are not the only thing drawing readers to emotional content. Books about mental illnesses and other taboo topics can open up conversations, and readers can discover things about themselves and find comfort in knowing that others have similar experiences to their own. In this way, literature becomes a tool for self-discovery, and it is one of the reasons that it is so important to many people to see these topics represented in literature (Bogdan 21).
The Future of Literature
On top of opening up conversations about mental health, the online book communities have also broadened the range of what literature gains visibility. Where the world of publishing has historically been dominated by male authors, social media presents a different picture. Online, the books that receive the most attention are often written by women (Culberson 3). The increasing visibility of women’s voices online points toward a more inclusive future within literature, which highlights how online communities are challenging long-standing literary hierarchies.
Works cited
“Tor UK to Publish next Olivie Blake Dark Academia Sensation.” Pan Macmillan, 11 Feb. 2025, www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/science-fiction-and-fantasy/olivie-blake-new-book-alone-with-you-in-the-ether.
Bogdan, Tokar, and Tokár Bogdán. “21st Century Literature Influence on Today's Society and People.” (2025).
Clark, Meredith. “Jennette McCurdy Defends Title of Book ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’: ‘I Mean It Sincerely.’” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 11 Aug. 2022, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/jennette-mccurdy-book-title-defends-b2142799.html.
Culberson, Daley. “BookTok: the cultural phenomenon introducing a stagnated industry to a new generation.” (2024).
Dera, Jeroen. “BookTok: A narrative review of current literature and directions for future research.” Literature Compass 21.10-12 (2024): e70012.
Landert, Daniela. Participation as user involvement. Vol. 11. De Gruyter Mouton, 2017.
Leary, Alaina. “ALIVE, DISABLED, AND ESSENTIAL: HOW LEIGH BARDUGO’S SIX OF CROWS SERIES MADE ME FEEL REAL.” BKMAG, 30 Nov. 2016, www.bkmag.com/2016/11/30/leigh-bardugo-six-crows-series/.
Plunk, Elise. “Tiktok, a Book and a Promise.” ATRIUM MAGAZINE, 17 Mar. 2023, atrium
