São Paulo — A survey by Poiesis, a Brazilian nonprofit social organization, conducted from January 2024 to June 2025, found that women age 29 and younger make up 70% of the people who use the libraries at the Fábricas de Cultura (Culture Factories) in eight outlying areas of São Paulo. That figure is higher than the national average for female readers, estimated at 61%.
The study covered locations in Brasilândia, Capão Redondo, Diadema, Iguape, Jaçanã, Jardim São Luís, Osasco, and Vila Nova Cachoeirinha. In 2024, each library recorded an average of 197 monthly book loans. Manga, Black literature, LGBTQIAPN+ and Indigenous literature, classics, and contemporary bestsellers were in especially high demand.
A diverse range of titles
Among the most requested books are the Japanese series One Piece and horror stories by Junji Ito, alongside works by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Virginia Woolf, and William Shakespeare. Manga tops the reading lists in Brasilândia, Iguape, and Jardim São Luís, while Russian and English classics are also popular in Iguape and Capão Redondo. Books by authors from outlying communities and authors of color circulate widely in Osasco and Jaçanã, including titles such as King of Tin by Jefferson Ferreira and Eyes of Water by Conceição Evaristo. According to the survey, 38% of the libraries’ collections are refreshed each month based on reader suggestions, bringing greater representation to Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQIAPN+ voices.
Women in the spotlight
Women readers are especially drawn to books about empowerment and gender issues. Among the most requested are Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde; Lullaby for the Big Boy by Conceição Evaristo; and All About Love by bell hooks. Bestsellers such as The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series remain favorites in Jardim São Luís, Brasilândia, Iguape, Diadema, Osasco, and Vila Nova Cachoeirinha.
Image: agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br
Free cultural spaces
The Fábricas de Cultura (Culture Factories)—an initiative of the São Paulo State Department of Culture, Creative Economy, and Creative Industries, managed by Poiesis—offer free access to books and arts programs in the city’s north and south, as well as in Diadema, Osasco, and Iguape. The libraries host workshops, discussion groups, facilitated reading sessions, and debates that bring literature into the daily lives of an audience largely made up of public school students.
Partnerships with schools, Centers for Children and Adolescents (CCAs), Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS, Brazil’s community mental health services), and local groups extend the reach of these facilities, strengthening the right to books and reading in outlying communities.
Based on information from Agência Brasil
