On the social network TikTok, young readers from around the world share book recommendations using the hashtag #BookTok. This phenomenon also affects Acadians. Annabelle Richard discovered a new passion for reading thanks to this dynamic community.
#BookTok had a significant impact on Annabelle Richard’s life a year and a half ago. The trend on the social network TikTok made him want to read, more than ever. The 21-year-old devoured 62 pounds last year.
“I think reading is important, it’s something that the world doesn’t do enough of. I’m part of a sorority at a university in Maine, and our philosophy is “read, lead, achieve”, so reading is essential [pour moi]”, she says.
The young woman from Richibucto adds that she likes to listen to the recommendations of content creators on TikTok to plan her book purchases.
“I am a compulsive buyer when I am in a book store. If I can do a little research online on which ones I want to read, I may buy two rather than ten. It saves me time too,” explains Ms. Richard.
In 2023, she read only in English. She finds the cost of books translated into French too high.
“When I go to Chapters, it’s about $10 more in French. A book already costs like $25, I don’t want to pay $35 for that,” judges Ms. Richard.
The big box bookstore banner Chapters actually offers higher prices for books translated into French. The Love Hypothesis by Italian novelist Ali Hazelwood, for example, costs almost $8 more in French.
Ms. Richard also sees few French-speaking suggestions on social networks.
“On TikTok, it would be fun to find recommendations for books that are not just translated into French, but also books that are written by Acadian, Quebecois or French-speaking authors,” she comments.
BookTok Acadia
This is what Marie-Hélène Losier tries to bring. The 41-year-old teacher from the Acadian Peninsula created a reading group on the social network Facebook, which brings together 255 people: BookTok Acadie.
She wishes to promote the works of Acadian authors. She notices that book recommendations on social networks are mainly English-speaking.
“There are a lot of people who don’t know Acadia authors because they are more in the English-speaking market. I think we could develop the French-speaking culture of our region a little more,” explains Ms. Losier.
The teacher specifies that #BookTok also helps her read more.
“The #BookTok videos really motivated me to read. Watching certain videos with recommendations or short descriptions of the books made me want to go look for some,” she says.
Acadian bookstore
In Moncton, employees of the Librairie acadienne, located on the campus of the Université de Moncton, are adapting to the phenomenon.
“We rely a lot on #BookTok to order our manga. We also created an LGBTQ+ section, which contains a lot of books recommended on TikTok,” explains its receptionist and website manager, Joël Roy.
However, he noticed the attraction to English among Acadian readers.
“I realized that, since most young people here are bilingual, they buy their books elsewhere in English. It’s mainly international students who come here to buy translations,” says Mr. Roy.
He observes that some books recommended on BookTok take time to be translated into French. This is another reason why young people buy books in English, according to him.
English reading
One thing is certain, 37% of Francophones in a minority situation aged 16 to 25 read mainly in English. This statistic is taken from a report by the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities (CIRLM), published in 2023.
The study also reports that 33% of French-speaking young people in minority situations read books in both official languages as well and that 30% of them do so mainly in French.
Researcher Sylvain St-Onge, who participated in the ICRML survey, recently discovered the #BookTok phenomenon.
“It’s still relatively recent. There’s not a lot of data on that, he says. But we see that the phenomenon is starting to grow in Quebec.”
Mr. St-Onge believes that if there were more French-speaking influencers online, young people would be more encouraged to read in French.
“If young people share their impressions on books they have read in French, it will be difficult not to react to that in French. #BookTok gives young people the opportunity to be on social media while doing something constructive and French-speaking,” he says.
Around 40% of French-speaking high school students in New Brunswick do not read at all, according to data from his doctoral thesis conducted in 2019.
