Ann Morgan always believed herself to be a well-rounded, well-informed, well-read person… until she realized that a majority of the books on her shelves were written by American and British authors.  Without a doubt, there are some phenomenal works of literature from these areas of the world.  Some would argue that many of the world’s greatest molders of the written word originated from these countries.  Is that because these countries are fortunate enough to give birth to a high percentage of literary geniuses or are American and British literature represented and exposed in much larger proportions than works from other nations?

Have you ever read a book by an author from Tanzania? How about Laos, Ecuador, or Ghana? Just a single book written by a person from any of these countries?  If you’re like me, the answer is probably no.

Ann set out on a year long goal to read a book from every country in the world.  With the help of encouraging individuals from around the globe, Ann reads unpublished manuscripts, new translations, and stories of individuals from areas of the world she hadn’t known much about before.  She created a website to document her literary journey around the world called A year of reading the world.

Her TED Talk inspires me to pick up every book I stumble upon about a place that I know little about and I think it will inspire you too.

Watch the full video HERE

Feeling inspired to read more worldly?  Find the full book list here