Part XXVI: Why I will not Review Veronica Roth or Hunger Games
Part XXVI: Why I will not Review nor Read veronica roth or Hunger Games
For those that know me, I'm a story fanatic and often one can find all sorts of books on my blog from fiction to non-fiction and books that mix in different genres. Sometimes I review culturally popular books such as first book of Twilight, and E.L James' horrible series of abuse and domination that she claims is "romance" and "erotica." (Right, and I'm the wealthiest woman in the world-and richer than Christian Grey- if her books are actually romantic and are erotic...hmm where's my money?)
Despite the liberty I give to practically all the books I have, there are some books that will not see the light of day on my book review blog and here are my reasons why: As a high school junior or senior, I was introduced to Lord of the Flies, which, as people know, is about a stranded group of boys that are stranded on an island and it tends to be a blueprint for the dystopia fiction of today. I also was introduced to Ender's Game which I also disliked and found frustrating. Recently there are some exceptions that proved that I didn't completely detest the genres such as books by Christopher Pike, or The Invasion of Tearling by Erika Johansen and even Sally Ann Melia book titled Guy Erma and the Son of Empire. Also, due to my experiences with mainstream religion and something continuously being shoved down my throat to the point of forced vomiting, I also became defensive when it comes to reading christian fiction/non-fiction because my reaction to it is something akin to anger whenever I read or see really overt hints in literature about christianity.
So, you may be asking, where do Hunger Games and veronica roth come in? I'm not a prude to stories of violence or where death is, or even ones that have sexual scenes in them, thus its not because I'm objecting to violence or murder. (Also practically all of my book reviews are books that women authors wrote...) Simply put, Hunger Games turns me off because of the dystopia element and from previous history, I really, really, tend to dislike popular stories or books or even authors (Charles Dickens and boris pasternak anyone?) Also, just because something is insanely popular doesn't mean its good. I also think I'm not a huge fan of survival type stories because I recall trying to read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, and, well, while it had a big potential to be a good story, I still wasn't a big fan of it. May I be missing something important by skipping out on Hunger Games? Probably, but I'm sure that the lessons Hunger Games offers could be found in other stories as well.
The author, veronica roth, (yes, I'm doing that on purpose) is a different and complex story of why I refuse to read her or will not review her stories, not even for a trillion dollars. First is that sometimes what the author does or supports really affects their art. Its wrong to judge, but I'm sure that I'm not the only one that's doing it. After all, when last year an author, Kathleen Hale stalked a blogger for giving her book a negative review, how many will refuse to read or touch her books because of her actions? How about Orson Scott Card's negativity towards homosexuals and the fact that his book tends to border on homosexuality and vivid descriptions of naked boys showering? What did veronica roth do that causes me to shun her books? I don't agree nor endorse her decision to become a christian and the fact that everyone keeps saying her books are christian in nature and so forth, well, why should I read something that I know will upset me due to author's choices? Second story is the anti-intellectual bent that the stories are supposed to have. Before deciding to read something, I often go to goodreads.com and will read negative one star reviews of books and often ask myself, is this something I can handle? Reading reviews of veronica roth's books caused me to realize that no, its not something I can handle.
Its complicated being an intellectual, and its a lonely experience as well. I often end up feeling as if I have to care about topics that I don't really care for, that no one else reads or cares about various issues as I do, and that its rare to find someone who can understand you. And there is also a sort of shame about my own interests and hobbies as well because I cannot really talk to others about the books I am reading. Knowing that these are my experiences, why read something that will make me feel even worse about myself? From what I also read about the story's structure, I can imagine that if I should read it, it will drive me crazy as well. I like flashbacks, I like when things are explained midway through the book, not when you have to keep everything in your head, and then refer to the author's website to know who's who.
For those that know me, I'm a story fanatic and often one can find all sorts of books on my blog from fiction to non-fiction and books that mix in different genres. Sometimes I review culturally popular books such as first book of Twilight, and E.L James' horrible series of abuse and domination that she claims is "romance" and "erotica." (Right, and I'm the wealthiest woman in the world-and richer than Christian Grey- if her books are actually romantic and are erotic...hmm where's my money?)
Despite the liberty I give to practically all the books I have, there are some books that will not see the light of day on my book review blog and here are my reasons why: As a high school junior or senior, I was introduced to Lord of the Flies, which, as people know, is about a stranded group of boys that are stranded on an island and it tends to be a blueprint for the dystopia fiction of today. I also was introduced to Ender's Game which I also disliked and found frustrating. Recently there are some exceptions that proved that I didn't completely detest the genres such as books by Christopher Pike, or The Invasion of Tearling by Erika Johansen and even Sally Ann Melia book titled Guy Erma and the Son of Empire. Also, due to my experiences with mainstream religion and something continuously being shoved down my throat to the point of forced vomiting, I also became defensive when it comes to reading christian fiction/non-fiction because my reaction to it is something akin to anger whenever I read or see really overt hints in literature about christianity.
So, you may be asking, where do Hunger Games and veronica roth come in? I'm not a prude to stories of violence or where death is, or even ones that have sexual scenes in them, thus its not because I'm objecting to violence or murder. (Also practically all of my book reviews are books that women authors wrote...) Simply put, Hunger Games turns me off because of the dystopia element and from previous history, I really, really, tend to dislike popular stories or books or even authors (Charles Dickens and boris pasternak anyone?) Also, just because something is insanely popular doesn't mean its good. I also think I'm not a huge fan of survival type stories because I recall trying to read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, and, well, while it had a big potential to be a good story, I still wasn't a big fan of it. May I be missing something important by skipping out on Hunger Games? Probably, but I'm sure that the lessons Hunger Games offers could be found in other stories as well.
The author, veronica roth, (yes, I'm doing that on purpose) is a different and complex story of why I refuse to read her or will not review her stories, not even for a trillion dollars. First is that sometimes what the author does or supports really affects their art. Its wrong to judge, but I'm sure that I'm not the only one that's doing it. After all, when last year an author, Kathleen Hale stalked a blogger for giving her book a negative review, how many will refuse to read or touch her books because of her actions? How about Orson Scott Card's negativity towards homosexuals and the fact that his book tends to border on homosexuality and vivid descriptions of naked boys showering? What did veronica roth do that causes me to shun her books? I don't agree nor endorse her decision to become a christian and the fact that everyone keeps saying her books are christian in nature and so forth, well, why should I read something that I know will upset me due to author's choices? Second story is the anti-intellectual bent that the stories are supposed to have. Before deciding to read something, I often go to goodreads.com and will read negative one star reviews of books and often ask myself, is this something I can handle? Reading reviews of veronica roth's books caused me to realize that no, its not something I can handle.
Its complicated being an intellectual, and its a lonely experience as well. I often end up feeling as if I have to care about topics that I don't really care for, that no one else reads or cares about various issues as I do, and that its rare to find someone who can understand you. And there is also a sort of shame about my own interests and hobbies as well because I cannot really talk to others about the books I am reading. Knowing that these are my experiences, why read something that will make me feel even worse about myself? From what I also read about the story's structure, I can imagine that if I should read it, it will drive me crazy as well. I like flashbacks, I like when things are explained midway through the book, not when you have to keep everything in your head, and then refer to the author's website to know who's who.
