I loved Nick Hornby before (although sadly, not so much his last book), but now I love him even more. In a piece for a British paper, he basically says what I think and say all the time, which is that there is nothing wrong with reading for pleasure, for entertainment. In fact, he urges it. And he emphatically states that we err in thinking 'good' books have to be difficult.
But my favorite part in the entire article is when he asks people to stop "slagging" on other people for their reading choices. Even if it's *gasp* The DaVinci Code. Because, Hornby's point is, you have no idea how that person came to be reading that book. Personally, I didn't like it. But I don't enjoy really any thriller, so it's no stretch to understand why. But S? He read the DaVinci Code, and he hadn't read a book since high school. I was/am inordinately proud of him for sticking with it, and finishing it. I'm a little disappointed that I can't really interest him in any of Dan Brown's other books, but the fact that he read and enjoyed a book? Golden.
And I think that's exactly what Hornby's point is: any book that has someone who wants to read it, who enjoys reading it is okay. Our object should be, as happy readers, to get other people to be happy readers. Sometimes it's the DaVinci Code that will evoke that response. Sometimes it's the new Ian McEwan or the new Julia Quinn. And I'm sure for some people it's new autobiographies or a new book about the importance of Kant. If we want people to read for pleasure, we have to promote the idea that it's not crap to read romances, or thrillers. We have to stop thinking that the only purpose of reading is to educate, is to "improve the mind".
Because yes, reading CAN be about that. But it shouldn't JUST be about that. And quite frankly, educational books can be insanely boring. No one picks up a Calculus text for fun. Well, okay, MOST people don't. But you get my point. And Hornby's.
(link to article via kottke)
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