Is it wrong of us to judge (judge is the key word here) books that we haven't read? I go through a lot of books, both for my own enjoyment and also as a Youth Librarian. In addition to talking to librarians about book, non-librarian readers about books, and following bloggers, publishers, authors, and readers on Twitter... things can get a little out of control. It's like, we spend half of our time screaming about the perils of judging people, and at the same time, people hear the words YA Books and you see them rolling their eyes before you've finished your sentence.
Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of this too. I wouldn't pick up a Sarah Dessen book if you paid me. I'm judging, I know I'm judging. I'm a little mad at myself for judging, but at the same time, I don't have to read a Sarah Dessen book to suggest it to a patron. I've also never said her book were bad, or poorly written, or racists, or anything else dramatic. Although I did make a comment about how all of her books are about sad blonds on the beach. Judgy, but at least not mean. lol.
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When someone says "Ugh Divergent is so dumb another girl convinced she's the only one who can save the world." You ask them, "Did you read it?" and they say "No, but I've seen enough to know." KILL ME. There are plenty of reasons not to like Divergent (personally I thought it was pretty okay until book 3), but to judge a book that you haven't read is so ignorant. Literally. Ignorant mean "lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular."
People who hate Dystopian books who've read less than 5 books in that genre statistically don't know what they're talking about. There are hundreds of Dystopian novels, just because you don't like the look of the ones that have been turned into movies, Divergent, Maze Runner (which is great btw), and Hunger Games, doesn't mean that the entire genre "sucks". The judgement drives me up the wall.
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Now don't get me wrong. A lot of people have genres that they gravitate toward. There are people who prefer contemporary books, those who prefer fantasy, those who prefer horror, and that's great. It means you know yourself and you know what you like, but to cast judgement on the integrity, or the "goodness" of a genre or age bracket of books, is unacceptable to me.
Listen. I have no desire to read Carve the mark by Veronica Roth, but the shear quantity of people who trashed that book before they'd read it was out of this world. Is it racist? Isn't it racist? I don't know. I'm not going to read it because there are a million more books that I'm interested in, but I'm certainly not going to trash talk it, bring it down, or criticize it on my blog or Twitter account. I just going to say "I don't want to read it."
I like to thing that I'm an eclectic reader. I'll read just about any genre, although I don't tend to pick up historical fiction, and I know that part of the reason I don't is because I always thought History was boring and confusing, and I'm working on that. Salt to the Sea and Hattie Big Sky were freaking awesome Historical Fiction books. I know that everyone isn't going to like everything, but I just get so tired of people mocking books they haven't read, saying they don't read Young Adult books when they haven't touched one since 2001, or anything else that fall into the "being a jerk for no reason" category, it makes me want to pull my hair out.
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Just because you "don't like YA" doesn't mean you wont really love I'll Give You the Sun, just because you don't like "problem books" doesn't mean you wont find a love and beauty in All the Bright Places, and just because you think "all fairy tale retellings are the same", doesn't mean you wont like Ash.
I think people really should be more open to different kinds of books the same way we open ourselves to different cultures and understanding different sexual orientations. If we aren't doing that, what exactly are we doing??!!
I understand that reading is an escape for so many people, myself included, and you don't have to read anything you don't want to, just don't blindly judge it.
How do other people feel about this? I fully acknowledge that as a librarian, I read differently. I don't just read for myself, I read for my community. I'm sure that has a lot of do with my reading ideals.
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I think it's perfectly fine to know you don't typically like books in certain genres. There's nothing wrong with thrillers and horror, but I don't care for them. Thankfully, I'm not responsible for directing anyone to a book they might like in this genre, but if I were I think I'd want to educate myself and say maybe "A lot of people seem to enjoy Book A for psychological suspense, or Book B for more gory horror."
ReplyDeleteI just started as an Usborne Books independent consultant, and we have a series of books called "That's Not My..." That's Not My Monkey, That's Not My Puppy, That's Not My Dragon... I don't care for them, but a lot of people say their babies LOVE the bright colors, the little touchable parts, etc. So if someone is looking for a book for a baby shower, I can tell them that the That's Not My series is super popular with people, and they have something to touch or interact with on ever page to keep babies engaged, and there are about eleventy-jillion of them so if your friend is into puppies, cats, cows, pirates, mermaids, princesses, monkeys... Whatever they love, we're probably got a That's Not My book for it, haha.
The point being, just because you personally don't enjoy something doesn't mean that thing doesn't have a whole bunch of points that might be appealing to someone else. As a reader of romance novels, I'm very familiar with people dismissing my reading choices as lesser than or trashy. But romance novels are NOT just damsels in distress, alpha males, and steamy sex scenes! There are strong, feisty, powerful women, damaged anti-heroes, couples rescuing each other or finding a balance of power in their relationship or learning to embrace who they really are... I think that by slapping a label, whether genre or age group or whatever, on a book and then dismissing it, you're doing the books and yourself a great disservice. Like I said, I don't care for thrillers, but if someone who knows me tells me "Hey, here's this thriller I think you'd really like, here's why..." you'd better believe I'm not going to let that label keep me from picking it up!
...LOL I just realized how long and rambling this comment is, so I'm going to stop now, but DANG! You got me all fired up!! :) Great topic!
This is such a crazy topic, you could probably sit and talk in circles about it all day. It really great that you're willing to read a book if someone gives you enough reason why they think you might like it. And you might start the book and decided about half way through that it isn't for you. But you tried. And that's all that matters. I love this topic. I'm glad it was my first one.
DeleteThank you so much for stopping by!
I love this post Kym! I thought about it a LOT especially when all the controversy was going round about Carve the Mark, Black Witch and All Crooked Saints. (I actually have a post coming up in a couple of weeks on this topic.) I may decide that a book is not worth my time just base don the reviews from trusted bloggers but I doubt I'd ever post a bad review or rating without reading the book. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know there was controversy over Black Witch and All Crooked Saints (although I tried to read Crooked Saints and didn't like it at all). But carve the Mark was BANANAS. I was so shocked. I'm going to keep an eye out for your post!
DeleteI agree! (And I love that "sad blonde on the beach" description.) I work with kids who do not enjoy reading and don't have strong reading identities. ANY book they are interested in reading is okay with me, even if I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, myself. I'm not going to say, "Ugh, really?" I don't read romance or horror, but it's not because I think I'm too good for them. I just prefer other kinds of stories. If someone else dislikes my favorite types of books (historical fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and contemporaries, adult or YA), it's not a problem for me, nor should they care what I'm reading.
ReplyDeleteYeah many of the kids in my community are low income and not strong readers. It can be a struggle getting a kid to pick up a book. If they want to read about the sad blonds, I will give them every book Dessen ever written. I agree with you 100%, let me read what I want. I don't need to hear your negativity.
DeleteThanks for dropping by. This was a fun post.
I totally agree with everything you've said here! I've seen loads of people trashing different books and even the people who read those books on Twitter, and then it transpires that they haven't actually even read it, and it does kind of make me mad. It's fair enough to see a book or genre and think 'that's probably not for me', but I don't think you can really judge something properly until you've read it, so you should probably just not comment in that case.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! :)
Yes! I think there's a big difference between "this isn't for me" and "this is crap". Sometimes it's best to hold your opinions until you've gathered all the information.
DeleteThanks for dropping by.
I really agree with what you've said here! I think you can know that a genre/author/whatever isn't for YOU specifically (and yeah, you may flat out not like it, think it's annoying, whatever) but without shaming other people who do. That's kind of the main thing for me. Sure, there are books out there I have no interest in but I see value in them for other people. I think you definitely hit the nail on the head here, because it isn't even not liking it, not wanting to read it; it's how we react to other people wanting to read it or liking it. Every time I say I like dystopian, I get "the look" and feel like I have to defend that. Which is silly! I am not a fan of fluffy contemporary generally, but I have zero right to think that everyone needs to agree with me! In fact, I am glad people don't- sometimes I find some awesome books that I didn't think I'd like through other people's recommendations! Anyway, this is an awesome post, and I definitely agree!
ReplyDeleteThank! I think you're right too. People make me feel ashamed of being a Teen Librarian and reading YA books. It's so awful because I can find myself unnecessarily defensive when I have to explain to someone that I haven't read Dan Brown because I've been reading Simon Vs. The Homosapien Agenda. Thanks for your kind words and stopping by.
DeleteGreat post!!! I seriously hate it when I see people rating books that haven't even come out yet. I personally never judge books that I haven't read and I completely agree with your thoughts on this topic! I've become a lot more conscious of what I choose to read during the past couple of years and that's because I know my personal preferences as as reader and what I'm looking for in a book. Something that I've enjoyed might've not been as enjoyable for other people or the opposite. Which doesn't give me or anyone the right to attack other readers for having different opinions, something that happens more often than not. I've seen people attacked for not enjoying very popular series or genres, just because they dared to share their reasons why they didn't work for them. We're not meant to love everything we read and we should not expect others to do so either. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteElena @ Book Lady's Reviews
I've been attacked for not liking popular books and seen people do it all over the internet. It's bananas. And people have to have a constant headache being that cranky all the time.
DeleteThanks for stopping by.
You brought up one thing that drives me nuts, people trashing a book they have not read based on an opinion that spread like wildfire. We see it all the time on twitter and those lovely 1-star ratings on Goodreads. I could never say something is good or bad until I actually read it. I can say, it doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me, because I know my tastes, but those scathing posts and snap judgements make me bananas. (BTW, I love Dessen, but was also disappointed by the last Divergent book.)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, so I finally read a Sarah Dessen book and I actually liked it. lol. I was so shocked when I realized that I was reading it and liking it. And yes!!! I've seen some Goodreads threads that start to read like a Twitter thread, and most people start saying "I haven't read this but from your review...". Just read the book or walk away folks. lol.
DeleteI need a "like" button for your response. =)
DeleteI ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS POST! It's so on point and I agree on all the freaking points, wow.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, people need to understand how stating an opinion and trashing something are two completely different things and the latter is unacceptable. And saying ANYTHING when they haven't even as much as read a book's blurb is so wrong! I agree that simply saying 'I don't want to read this book' is so much better than saying 'I hate this book because I've HEARD it isn't good' or something along that line.
Secondly, I read a variety of genres too, and while some books in some specific genres don't seem like my cup of tea, I don't go around saying how the genre is absolutely pathetic because it isn't my right to say for the millions of books categorised in that genre.
Thirdly, THANK YOU SO MUCH for saying this and saying it so well <3
Thank you!!! It's crazy how this seems like such a simple concept and yet we all run into people who judge so hard. Since both my personal and professional life revolve around books it's been slowly driving me crazy (and clearly you too. lol). Thank you for taking the time to come by my page and write such a passionate and lovely reply!
DeleteI agree with pretty much everything you've said here. I really try to hold back on making judgments about books I haven't read, and I'm always aware that different people see books differently, so I can't base my opinions based on solely what I've "heard" about a book. That doesn't mean I don't ever make generalizations (I'm not generally a fan of thrillers or mysteries, but I don't think they're "bad" genres---just not really for me).
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this statement about you as a librarian, by the way: "I don't just read for myself, I read for my community." What a unique and interesting way to think about it!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I think we can all be judgy sometimes (note my feeling son Sarah Dessen lol), but if we can acknowledge it and work to suppress our instincts then we're on the right track. Thank you for taking the time to read my post. It means a lot!
DeleteDefinitely agree. I think Twitter especially is really bad at trashing books based on one review, or saying things about it when they've never read it. If I haven't read the book, I'm not going to tell someone else they shouldn't read it - and I probably wouldn't do that anyway, because hey, if they want to read, let them read! And make up their own mind about things! I don't like when people judge books they haven't read or make general statements about YA or actual genres. If it's not your thing, fine, but it's someone else's so let them enjoy it.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Yes! In so many ways I love Twitter, and in others... *sigh*. You are 100% right. People can make up their own minds about things. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOh, this is a great post! This drives me insane. I'm the first person to admit that I'm judgy. So much so that I would totally carry around a gavel if I thought I could get away with it (though, my husband informs me I can't). But even I know that you can form an opinion of anything from the outset (it's called first impressions for a reason), but you can't judge anything from any position of integrity and knowledge without having experience with it first. That's just common sense.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think of a conversation we just had today, even, in my book club. Most people liked the book. One other woman and I did not. Which was to be expected, we said, because we don't read romance and it was one of those really formulaic damsel-in-distress romances. But even as I said it, it's not true. I'll read the crap out of certain romances. Heck, I just read Wintersong by S. Jae Jones a few weeks ago and loved it. The difference is that even though I may have outwardly dismissed romance as a genre (sorry, romance fans), I don't really in practice. If I get a recommendation for a romance or come across a romance that sounds great, I give it a chance.
On the other hand, though, there's something to be said about judging. It comes from an inane desire to not waste time and to assess situations. Being judgy saves me a heck of a lot of time in the long run because I know what I like and what I don't, and while sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, more often I'm not. I didn't read Twilight when it became a big thing because I knew I wasn't going to like it (and to appease my mother-in-law, who was amongst the "how do you know if you don't try crowd" because she loved, I did read it, and gave the book to my neighbor before I even finished, who also loved it). I also never read 50 Shades of Gray. I started it, on the recommendation of my mother-in-law (you know, there seems to be a pattern here...) and barely made it through chapters and, again, gave it to someone who enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than I did.
So I think it goes both ways. The points you make here are fantastic, and there's a difference between judging something based on you personally and deciding you don't want to read it and going out and trashing a book that you've never read.
I definitely agree that not liking a particular type of book in general does not prevent you from enjoying specific books in that genre. I usually say that I don't like fantasy, for example, but I loved Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I'm a former children's librarian, and I think "reading for your community" as you put it is a great way to keep your mind open about books you don't gravitate toward naturally. I read all kinds of books when I was working in the library that I never would have read on my own, but that I wanted to be able to talk about intelligently with patrons. And it has made me a more well-rounded reader overall. Also, I love Sarah Dessen, but your "sad blonds on the beach" comment made me laugh out loud. There is some truth to that!
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