Booker Prize Foundation Launches “All Around the World” Quick Reads Collection to Boost Adult Literacy

The Booker Prize Foundation is releasing a short-story anthology titled All Around the World on Thursday. Curated by former winner Roddy Doyle, the volume features stories by Booker laureates Anne Enright, David Szalay and nominee Nadifa Mohamed. Priced at £1, the book will be sold in participating outlets, while the Foundation will donate 12 000 copies to readers who encounter barriers to reading. Additional copies will be supplied to the prison reading programme Books Unlocked, community partner Booksbank, and distributed as free digital and audio downloads to readers of the Big Issue.

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Research slated for release in the State of the Nation’s Adult Reading report indicates that more than one-third of UK adults find it difficult to finish a book. Fifty-five percent of respondents say they read less than they intend, and 19 % of 16- to 24-year-olds report that they cannot easily locate representations of themselves or their culture in books. The Quick Reads programme, now in its 20th year, was created to address these trends.

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• Roddy Doyle – curator, former Booker winner.

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• Anne Enright, David Szalay, Nadifa Mohamed – contributing authors.

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• The Reading Agency – will publish the full adult-reading report later in summer.

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• Books Unlocked – prison reading initiative receiving donated copies.

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• Booksbank – community partner distributing the anthology.

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• Big Issue – vendor network providing free digital and audio versions.

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• 55 % of adults read less than they intend.

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• 19 % of 16-24-year-olds lack cultural representation in books.

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• 40 % of those who abandon books cite loss of interest.

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• 22 % cite insufficient time, while 21 % point to book cost as a barrier.

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The Foundation announced that the anthology will be available for a nominal fee and that the donated copies aim to reach readers facing literacy challenges. The Reading Agency confirmed that the forthcoming State of the Nation’s Adult Reading report will be released in the summer, providing a comprehensive analysis of adult reading patterns.

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Survey data highlight three primary obstacles:

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1. Concentration and interest – four in ten respondents stop reading because they lose interest.

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2. Time constraints – one in five adults report insufficient time to read.

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3. Financial cost – 21 % of respondents cite book price as a deterrent.

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George Anderson, a central-London vendor for the Big Issue, observed that reading “is almost like mindfulness. It takes you into a different place while keeping you in the here and now.”

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• “Quick Reads is like dipping your toe in the water of literature, with some of the barriers that might put people off removed. A lot of people might feel there is nothing about their world in books. The stories in All Around the World have access points, and I hope they alert readers to the fact that, actually, their life might be in here somewhere.” — Roddy Doyle, Booker-prize-winning writer, curator

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• “Reading is almost like mindfulness. It takes you into a different place while keeping you in the here and now.” — George Anderson, Big Issue vendor

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• “an invitation to read” — Roddy Doyle, Booker-prize-winning writer

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• “because they lose interest” — Survey respondent (quoted in report)

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The Reading Agency plans to release the full adult-reading report later this summer, which will provide further insight into reading habits and inform future literacy initiatives.

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