According to Amazon’s “Election Heat Map,” Minnesota is one of only two states where people are reading conservative and liberal books at the same rate. While the map suggests “conservative-themed books are outselling left leaning ones coast to coast,” Wired offers a caveat: The map presents a rolling 30-day average of book-buying data and classifies them as red or blue depending on promotional materials and customer classifications. And there’s no sliding scale. A book is either red or blue, so there’s no nuance for centrists. “Just remember, books aren’t votes,” Amazon says on the heat map site. “So a map of book purchases may reflect curiosity as much as commitment.” I wonder if there’s another factor: Some of us on the left try to minimize buying from Amazon, opting for local independent stores or non-Amazon online booksellers, or head to the library.

According to Amazon’s “Election Heat Map,” Minnesota is one of only two states where people are reading conservative and liberal books at the same rate. While the map suggests “conservative-themed books are outselling left leaning ones coast to coast,” Wired offers a caveat:

The map presents a rolling 30-day average of book-buying data and classifies them as red or blue depending on promotional materials and customer classifications. And there’s no sliding scale. A book is either red or blue, so there’s no nuance for centrists. “Just remember, books aren’t votes,” Amazon says on the heat map site. “So a map of book purchases may reflect curiosity as much as commitment.”

I wonder if there’s another factor: Some of us on the left try to minimize buying from Amazon, opting for local independent stores or non-Amazon online booksellers, or head to the library.