My diversity challenge

I turned 38 in December, and with my birthday came a new reading goal. I am going to try to read as many countries as possible by my 40th birthday!

So what do I mean when I say I want to read as many countries as possible? It means that I will intentionally seek out books set in places that I don’t usually read about. I do read a lot of books set in other countries, but I know that I tend to go to the same countries repeatedly, and that needs to change.

I know that there will be times when I don’t mix things up as much as I’d like to (every book I’ve read since making this goal has part of the story in England or New York City), but the key is to seek out something new within the old habits. As a historical fiction junkie, it is easy to come across stories set in multiple locations. And since I know that I will continue to read books set within the United States, I am tracking the states as well. It would be cool to knock out all 50 states during this time too.

One key element to this self-imposed challenge is that every book has to be one that I have not read before. There are so many stories out there about the world, and I want to encounter them instead of going off a list of things I have already read.

How am I going to do this? I start by reading what I love to read: biographies and novels. I may not find a novel set in some countries, but I am certain that I could find a biography or memoir to read about someone from there. And I know that there might be some places I can’t find anything at all outside of an atlas or encyclopedia, and that will be a challenge in itself.

I pride myself on being a learner and being open to learning about other cultures, but if I am not deliberate, I am staying ignorant of the beautiful mix that makes up our world. I don’t expect this to be an easy challenge, but I expect great personal results from it. I hope to have become a more compassionate, better educated, and more understanding person through this challenge. I expect to be humbled and surprised. Maybe I’ll discover a new favorite author or a new to me subject that I can become obsessed with.

If you want to keep up with which books and countries I am reading, you can find them on the Recent Reads shelf on my bookshop site. And as always, I am open to recommendations and suggestions, so if you’ve got a favorite, let me know.

I am an affiliate member with bookshop.org, so any purchases through the links in this post will give a commission back to me.