Stormzy called reading a “superpower” as he backed an initiative aimed at encouraging people who don’t see themselves as readers to pick up a book.
The musician’s publishing imprint #Merky Books, which is part of Penguin, is publishing one of this year’s six Quick Reads – short, accessible books created “specifically for nonreaders, lapsed readers, people with short attention spans, and neurodivergent readers”, according to The Reading Agency, which has run the Quick Reads initiative for 20 years.
The #Merky Books title is Hunger Pains by Derek Owusu, which will go on sale for £1 in April, along with five other Quick Reads.
“Reading helped me when I was young and it still does today,” said Stormzy. “Books have the power to carry you through life.” The rapper said he is “really proud” that Owusu is taking part in the initiative. “His words will reach the people who need them most.”
“I encourage anyone who doesn’t usually read to pick up a Quick Read – because reading really is a superpower,” he added. “Music and books are both about finding your voice. We are all made of stories – they define who we are.”
Owusu’s book, coming in at 128 pages, centres on Ray, a fitness enthusiast whose “obsession takes its toll” – he turns to “a dangerous online community for support”, while his partner, Temi, a journalist, watches with concern, according to the publisher’s description.
“Having never read a book until the age of 24, I wish I had come across Quick Reads sooner,” said Owusu. “They’re accessible, affordable and gentle in their approach, allowing new or lapsed readers to find their way into the pleasure and fulfilment of reading fiction and nonfiction.
“I’m excited to be part of their legacy and to add my voice to something that helps people feel confident enough to pick up a book and look forward to spending time with it,” he added. Owusu is also the author of That Reminds Me, Losing the Plot, Borderline Fiction and the editor of Safe: 20 Ways to be a Black Man in Britain Today.
This year, The Reading Agency will launch Quick Reads as audiobooks for the first time, as well as giving half a million Quick Reads books to prisons across the UK. All Quick Read titles “go through a rigorous accessibility review process, including testing for readability, concentration, and suitability for adults rebuilding reading confidence”, according to the charity.
Along with Owusu’s Hunger Pains, the other Quick Reads titles being published this year are The Last Bench by Carmel Harrington, The Girl in the Picture by Rachel Hore, The Woman Next Door by Louise Jensen, Sweet Charity by Rosie Goodwin and Cell One by Leye Adenle.
