Beyond a straightforward tally (number of women authors v. number of men authors), this list proves a point we’ve been making all along. Gender representation is not symbolic and it is not a gimmick. What The Guardian did with their 2016 book list was two-fold: they achieved gender balance in both the books recommended and the list of readers making the recommendations. Among the 170 titles on the list, 47% were written by women authors. What is perhaps even more notable is the fact that this fairly balanced list came from a roster of readers that was itself pretty balanced, including 55% women among its 49.
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