I caught this Diversity in Reading meme on a fellow book blogger’s blog and it got me thinking; should we read diversely simply for diversity’s sake? It all comes down to “should,” doesn’t it? What should we do as opposed to what do we want to do? Should I read that author or the other author because it’ll “broaden my spectrum of reading” even though I may not be interested in the book and will struggle to get through it? Doesn’t that kind of sap the joy out of reading?
This is how I choose a book if I’m just wandering around a book store aimlessly and without recommendations in hand: see pretty cover, read book blurb, buy book if it sounds interesting. Yes, I judge books by their cover. If I’ve never heard of it or it hasn’t been recommended to me, an eye-catching cover is what’s going to make me grab it off the shelf, now isn’t it? I don’t have story hooks throwing themselves at me and I don’t have the time to be “equal” and give every book blurb a chance.
Notice how the author doesn’t come into play. Unless it’s an author whom I’m familiar with and writes in a certain genre or target that I don’t like, the author is pretty much the last thing I look at. I couldn’t tell you the race of 3/4 of the authors on my shelves. Does it matter? Is it not contrived to force authorial diversity on your shelves just so you can say how diverse you are?
If I like the sound of the story, I’m going to read it. Bottom line. The author could be pink with 6 heads for all I care. So why does an author’s skin color or gender or sexual orientation even come into play when choosing a book? Why should it? If the book is good, doesn’t it deserve to be read regardless of who wrote it? Doesn’t it deserve to be bought and flaunted and hyped up without a peek into the skin color of the author?
Does it make me a bad person because I don’t actively seek to diversify my reading? I don’t think so. I’m going to read books that interest me. If that happens to be by a black person, white person, Indian person or transgendered person, so be it. I really don’t care. I just want to read. Nothing so wrong with that, is there?
I pick up books exactly the same way you do, before I accrued a massive ‘to read’ list but must admit to sometimes actively seeking out books from certain areas, like Middle Easter fiction.
Funny thing was, when I went searching, I couldn’t find anything that interested me but a few months later I found an article in a newspaper recommending a book by a Lebanese author, Rawi Hage.
People should read whatever they want to read. It’s silly to try and order someone to read a book, especially if it’s a classic. People won’t like everything. You can’t force people into reading a book or a certain genre. Reading isn’t about looking good, it’s about enjoyment.
I was once told to take out a statement I made about loving Goodnight Mr Tom in my personal statement for university. The reason? According to my teacher it was (and I quote) a ‘kid’s book’ and I need to choose something that ‘makes me look educated’. Wtf? Still disgusts me to this day.
I tend to acquire books the same way you do. I do have a list of must-read books, but it’s not set in stone and most of the time, when I wander through a bookstore, I generally have nothing, not a book or a magazine, or even a subject, in mind. It’s more of a hit or miss when I’m in the fiction/horror/sci-fi aisles; if a cover or title catches my eye, I’ll read the blurb, and if it’s interesting, I’ll buy it.
Marie, that very statement from your teacher just showed how uneducated he was. If only he could remove his head from his ass to realize that.
I actually feel like there “should” be some actively-sought diversity in reading. Judging books based on their cover is great, I definitely do it, but there are a lot of books I wouldn’t read if I weren’t actively looking to diversify my reading experience.
I mean–I feel like I’m explaining this poorly–for instance I read Victorian literature by the bushel, more or less. White male writers from 19th-century England–I’m there. And mysteries, mostly classics. Among other genres. But I wonder–am I missing something? I really enjoy these books, but what if there’s something else? I should explore. So I actively sought out (through a college course) 20th-century Indian Women writers (take that, Victorian England). Discovered I liked some and didn’t like others. I would not have picked any of them up in a bookstore. Or I actively sought out mysteries that weren’t American or British and discovered a new love, a Japanese writer.
So I feel like people “should” read outside their comfort zone/usual, if only occasionally, if only to make sure there isn’t something else out there. But the “should,” the obligation, is to the person himself, not to any outside “rules” of society.
I did such a poor job explaining that. I apologize. I’m enjoying your blog.
Thanks for commenting, Grace! I get what you’re saying. Don’t worry. The want to diversify needs to come from within the reader, not some outside force like societal obligations or anything like that.