At Worldreader, we love using data to help our readers find books they not only want to open but love to read. That’s why this year, when thinking about our top books, we decided to focus on the books that drew people in and kept them reading. One of our biggest challenges at Worldreader is … Continue Reading →

The author James Baldwin once said that, “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” Read enough and you will find yourself in someone else’s words. Read a little more and you might find yourself not in the story of another human, but in … Continue Reading →

Back in 2010 when Worldreader was in its very early stages, two of the first publishers to believe in our dream were Penguin and Random House, then separate entities. Together they donated a few hundred titles which, as we grew, helped form the basis for a library that impacted thousands of lives across sub-Saharan Africa. … Continue Reading →

In 2014, our top ten most completed books on Worldreader Mobile fell into three distinct categories: information about Ebola, romantic novels and practical information about human sexuality. Or, as I like to think of it: survival, escapism and pragmatism. Survival Late in 2013 a few cases of Ebola were reported in Guinea. Shortly after, new … Continue Reading →

Book Expo America is a chaotic place. Every May thousands of publishers, authors and their fans cram into the Javits Centre in New York City and everywhere you go there is something to look at, something to read. In between meetings with publishers I saw a familiar face. Lauren Beukes?! Could I be that lucky? … Continue Reading →

When Malawian-born William Kamkwamba found a library book called Using Energy, he used it to help him build a fully functional windmill. He was only 14. It generated enough energy to reliably power four lights and two radios in his family’s home. William became an international hero. There is a broader narrative into which William’s … Continue Reading →

In Open Road Integrated Media I like to think Worldreader always saw a natural ally: we are a charity that works with digital books and they are a mostly digital publisher. For us, the weightless nature of e-books has allowed us to disrupt the traditional model of book donation and provisioning in developing countries. For … Continue Reading →

Welcome to Zimbabwe at the start of millenium – a country in the throes of catastrophic inflation. In the midst of this Samson worries about being able to provide basic necessities for his family: food, school tuition, clothing. He has a job but his salary isn’t enough: he has taken to sucking on toothpicks to … Continue Reading →

Since Worldreader Mobile launched in early 2012, we’ve added two thousand books to our original 1,000 book offering. Despite the deluge of content, a few of our first, most popular stories have refused to budge from our top ten list. One such story, which has logged over 420 reader hours, and consistently attracts an average … Continue Reading →

In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has challenged the world to … Continue Reading →