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In an age of doom scrolling, Asia’s book market is thriving
If the habit of reading fades in the next generation, the loss will be felt in how all of us think and act.
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Reading doesn’t survive just because people love books – it survives when systems make it necessary.
PHOTO: AFP
Karishma Vaswani
The internet was supposed to kill off books. But across much of Asia, a booming market tells a different story.
The region doesn’t have a special affinity with reading. Demand is being driven by something more practical: a desire to get ahead. It’s also underpinned by rising literacy, an expanding middle class and the wider adoption of English as a second language. Textbooks, exam preparation materials and self-help titles are among the bestsellers. Promoted by social media, and in some cases encouraged by political leaders, books aren’t just a pastime – they’re tools for economic advancement.
