Reading the World

Reading the World chronicles Ann Morgan's year-long project to read one book from every independent country on Earth. After realizing her reading had been limited to mostly English-language works, she embarked on this literary journey in 2012, documenting her experiences on her blog. Morgan navigates the challenges of finding translations from less-represented nations and connecting with readers worldwide who helped source books. She explores publishing industry dynamics, translation issues, and the uneven global flow of literature while sharing insights from her encounters with authors and translators. Through discussions of works from places like Sao Tome and Principe, Myanmar, and Mongolia, Morgan examines how stories travel across cultural boundaries. She interweaves her reading experiences with broader observations about global literature's role in shaping understanding between cultures. The book raises questions about what it means to be a global citizen and reader in the digital age, while highlighting both the barriers and bridges in international literary exchange. It serves as a window into the complexity of accessing and appreciating world literature.

Readers appreciate Morgan's global reading journey and her insights into literary translation and publishing inequalities. Many note the book works better as a meditation on reading globally than as a collection of book reviews. On Goodreads, reviewers highlight the author's engaging writing style and dedication to discovering new perspectives. Common criticisms include: - Too much focus on Morgan's personal journey rather than the books themselves - Inconsistent depth of analysis across different countries - Limited coverage of some regions, especially Africa - Occasional cultural generalizations Several readers mention they used the book as a reference to expand their own reading lists, though some found the actual book recommendations underwhelming. Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (90+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (40+ ratings) "More of a book about reading than a book about books," notes one Amazon reviewer. "Valuable as a starting point for exploring world literature," writes another on Goodreads.

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🌍 Ann Morgan undertook her global reading quest after realizing that only 2% of the books published in the UK were translations from other languages. 📚 To complete her project, Morgan read literature from 196 countries in just one year (2012), requiring extensive help from international readers to source books from nations with limited publishing access. 🤝 Several authors and translators created English versions of works specifically for Morgan's project, including the first-ever English translation of a novel from São Tomé and Príncipe. 📖 The project began as a blog called "A Year of Reading the World" and attracted thousands of followers, with readers worldwide offering suggestions and even mailing books to Morgan. 🗺️ For some countries, like South Sudan and Nauru, Morgan had to rely on oral storytelling traditions and unpublished works, as there were no commercially available translated books in English.