What a year 2021 has been, especially in bookish culture! There were so many great and memorable things that happened this year—from wonderful, new book releases to our favorite written works being adapted for the golden and silver screens. There was so much good that happened. Here are just five memorable bookish moments that occurred in 2021.
1. Two Indigenous North American Women Were Awarded the Pulitzer
History was made when two of the biggest Pulitzer Prizes in Literature were awarded to two Indigenous women—Louise Erdrich for Fiction (The Night Watchman) and Natalie Diaz for Poetry (Postcolonial Love Poem). Erdrich is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (she identifies as Ojibwe). Diaz is Mojave, enrolled in the Gila River Indian Community, and identifies as Akimel O’odham.
2. Tik Tok Made It Happen: Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles
Tik Tok made it happen! Through BookTok, Madeline Miller’s 2015 novel, The Song of Achilles, resurged in popularity this year. Many times, as noted through booksellers on BookTok, Miller’s novel had to continuously be restocked, and rightly so—it’s an incredible book and if you haven’t read it yet, put it on your 2022 TBR list.
3. Amanda Gorman at the Inauguration of President Joe Biden
On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman performed her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States. Gorman was met with immediate acclaim for her spell-binding reading and showed that we were a nation of readers of great poetry.
4. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is Released With a Sequel Announced
Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic science fiction novel, Dune, was released to theaters and available to stream on HBO Max on October 22. Soon after the release, Villeneuve announced the production of a sequel.
5. Harry Potter Celebrates 20th Anniversary With the Announcement of ‘Return to Hogwarts’ Reunion
Nostalgia calls out to us—Harry Potter is celebrating its 20th Anniversary since the first Harry Potter was released in cinemas. In early December, HBO Max announced a reunion special, Return to Hogwarts, that will be available to stream on January 1, 2022.
For more of Bookstr’s end-of-the-year roundups, take a look at this article on Bookstr’s Top 10 Best Books of 2021.