Reading critically (carefully, analytically, passionately) and sharing your honest thoughts in a review is not where I'm heading with this post. That is not what I mean by judging a book.
I mean condemning a book--judging it UNFIT and labeling it BAD, AWFUL, HORRIBLE. Virtue signaling with books. Because I (one person) did not like it, I want the world (every other person) to agree with me that this book is Horrible, Very Bad, Inappropriate. Or because I (one person) do not like an idea in this book, I want everyone (ALL people everywhere) to join me in saying this book was awful and it should never have been published. The mindset of, "I am not content to just let reading be subjective and let every reader make up his/her own mind. I want to monitor others' reading and tell them what to think." There is a lot of implied arrogance: You are not smart enough to make up your own mind and draw your own conclusions, so let me tell you exactly what to think and how you should react.
When you condemn a book--as opposed to merely critiquing it objectively and/or subjectively, one person = one opinion--you are hoping to build up a mob response.
This is an everybody issue. It isn't just Conservatives. It isn't just Liberals. It isn't just Republicans. It isn't just Democrats. It isn't just the Right. It isn't just the Left. It isn't just Christians. It isn't just Atheists. So often we (the general we) try to condemn the condemners putting on blinders to situations where we do the same. So often we get entangled in situations where we have the pot calling the kettle black and vice versa. Self-awareness is important.
Common sense should be used when condemning a book. That may be a novel concept, I know. To some it seems fairly obvious. Like WHO would purposefully throw common sense out when it comes to judging and condemning books. But it happens.
Common sense guidelines
- Have you read the book you're condemning all the way through cover to cover? Or did you stop at the first hint of offense?
- If you haven't read it, are you condemning it because you're following someone else? Have you considered the fact that maybe that person hasn't read it either? Have you made up your own mind about a book?
- If you have read it, have you read it carefully? Or did you skim the book looking for offenses and flaws?
- Are you considering the CONTEXT of a particular scene and how it fits into the whole story?
- Have you asked yourself why you are so eager to condemn a book publicly instead of, you know, just not finishing it? There's a difference between adding a book to your did not finish pile on GoodReads AND taking to Twitter to air your grievances with the hope of starting something up.
- Are you able to separate your feelings about a particular book from your feelings about the author? Have your attacks on the particulars in the book led you to attacking the author? Instead of focusing on any problems you have with the book itself, have you turned to slamming the author and added insults, name-calling, labels?
- Are you clear in your reasons and reasoning? What facts do you have to back up your conclusion? If you're determined to make a case against a book--lay it all out clearly, logically. Show how you reached the conclusions that the book is "bad" or "dangerous" or "wrong" or "evil" or whatever.
- If you haven't read the book, not even a few chapters. Why are you giving it a stars rating? Why are you reviewing it? Why are you trying to persuade others with your opinion?
Further thoughts and observations:
- You do not have to finish every book you start. End of story. Seriously. Just because you started it, doesn't mean you have to keep reading it. If a book isn't for you, it isn't for you. That's okay. No judgement.
- That being said, if a book isn't for you, that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the book. It doesn't mean there is something wrong with the people that love the book.
- Your opinion is your opinion.
- It is okay to avoid genres you think you won't like. You don't have to read books out of your comfort zone. You don't. It's a free country.
- There is a difference between a parent saying, I do not want my child to read book A. And a parent saying I do not want BOOK A available for any child to read in the classroom library or the school library. Any student at my child's school or in my child's school district should be denied access to book A. Huge difference.
- I do believe that there are appropriate and inappropriate times for a book. Book A may be PERFECTLY PERFECTLY fine for MG or high school libraries (and all public libraries) but may be a bit out of place in a third grade library. Usually this is obvious. Usually. For example, SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson just wouldn't belong in a third or fourth grade library. But I think it is a must read for the appropriate age group.
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