By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College
Cobb County is about to play host to the Acworth Book and Storytelling Festival on Saturday, October 10, 2026. This event at the Acworth Community Center is one more symbol of how books are making a big comeback in America, despite sluggish reading numbers nationwide. What can be done to boost the latter?
When I began writing during the pandemic, I was told that books were on their way out. Fewer Americans were reading than ever, or so people said. Bookstores all across America were closing, as evidenced by the disappearance of Borders, B. Dalton’s and Walden Books stores. We were in a “book-cession” right? Wrong. At least four exhibits say otherwise.
Exhibit A: Book Festivals are expanding across the country, shifting from small affairs to big economic and social affairs, according to Publishers Weekly. One was just held in Marietta. Then there’s the Decatur Book Festival on October 2-3 and Carrollton’s Book Festival on February 27, 2027. And they’re just one of several exhibits showing a big bounce back for books.
Exhibit B: Barnes & Noble. They’re opening 60 new locations, with nearly half already completed. This pushes the company’s national growth to 720 stores. And it’s done with pages, not mirrors, as the company is smartly shifting to local bookstore control and better sales numbers thanks to a dynamic new CEO.
Exhibit C: Independent Bookstores. National Public Radio reports more than 600 new independent bookstores opened in 2025, citing American Bookseller Association data. And that growth has boomed by 70 percent over 2020 numbers, according to the Literary Hub.
Exhibit D: Libraries. Despite budgetary and political pressure, libraries are increasing the numbers of visits, circulation, and programs offered.
In fact, the mean number of books read in a year is now eight. So how can these numbers be reconciled with claims that fewer Americans are reading than ever (with the median number of books read in America is two)?
A lot of it has to do with reading now becoming a community event, rather than a solitary activity. Instead of merely hiding away from the world with a book, more people are enjoying the shared experience. Barnes & Noble and bookstores as well as book festivals and libraries are smartly tapping into that, as people seek friendship and shared interests such book clubs. And as I learned while selling my books, younger people like print versions at an increasing rate.
Of course, there are those with an axe to grind who mock such readers are smug elitists or seek to ban more books than they read. But anti-literary propaganda may be hurting American more than just reading the latest trendy novel. As the National Institute of Health reports “Low literacy costs the United States up to $2.2 trillion every year. It links closely to joblessness, lower income, and fewer career opportunities.” Rather than attacking books and discouraging the practice, the more patriotic thing to do may well be to get the non-readers to join those keeping the reading business alive in America. Perhaps encourage someone to come to the Acworth Book Festival, a bookstore, or a library, to start some good habits.
John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu or on “X” at @johntures2. His first book “Branded” a thriller novel where corporate greed, media manipulation and academic intrigue collide in a deadly game of product placement, has been published by the Huntsville Independent Press (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/product-page/branded). His second novel, “Independent Thought,” about a third-party candidacy that brings America to its knees, is published by HIP (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/product-page/independent-thought).