Popular Reads: Critical Perspectives on Popular Literature by Akhilesh Kumar Dwivedi is a concise, academically oriented exploration of popular literature and its critical dimensions. Published in May 2025, this work spans around 169 pages and aims to bridge the gap between everyday reading experiences and scholarly interpretation. 
Dwivedi, an associate professor with expertise in humanities and literature, frames the book around the idea that popular literature—often dismissed as lightweight or simply entertaining—deserves serious analytical attention. Popular literature encompasses genres and texts that attract mass readership: mysteries, romance, fantasy, science fiction, genre fiction, and other widely consumed narratives. Although such works are frequently excluded from traditional literary canon discussions, Dwivedi argues they reflect cultural values, social norms, and collective imaginations of their time.
Throughout the book, Dwivedi encourages readers to think beyond simplistic notions of “high” and “low” art. He situates popular texts within broader sociocultural contexts, demonstrating how they engage with issues such as identity, power, genre conventions, and audience expectations. The author draws on critical theories and frameworks from literary and cultural studies to interrogate why certain narratives resonate widely and how they shape readers’ perceptions.
A key focus of the book is on applying critical perspectives that help de-emphasize the hierarchy between canonical literature and popular narratives. In doing so, Popular Reads aligns with contemporary scholarly efforts to democratize literary studies—recognizing the intellectual and cultural significance of texts that command large readerships. While not an exhaustive theory manual, the book offers a readable entry point for students, teachers, and enthusiasts interested in exploring how popular literature operates both as cultural product and as critical object.
Overall, Dwivedi’s book invites reconsideration of “popular” writing, urging us to see it as worthy of interpretation and critique rather than mere consumption.