No Apologies Necessary

I recently saw the movie Liberal Arts (in theaters now and available on demand).  In it, a 35 year old college admissions officer, Jesse, returns to his alma mater and begins a friendship, and later a relationship, with a 19 year old student, Zibby.  The film depicts Jesse as a voracious and serious reader who is horrified to spot a Twilight-esqe book in Zibby's room.  He can’t believe that she would read it, let alone enjoy it.  When she challenges him as to how he could hate a book he has never read, he agrees to give it a try.  After being spotted with it by one of his former professors, who gives him a scornful look, he hides the book behind a highbrow magazine, embarrassed to be seen with it. 

There are a lot of book snobs in this world who believe that the only good book is one that teaches you something, or contains lots of multi syllabic words and sentences that go on for pages. To them, books that simply entertain or amuse are a waste of time.  If the Times hasn’t given it a glowing review, or it hasn’t won any of the major literary prizes, it isn’t worthy of their attention.  You will never find any “airport books” or “chick lit” on their shelves.  And these snobs do not hesitate to make their feelings known.  Sometimes they do so directly – “how can you read that? It’s trash.”  Other times, it’s subtler – it’s the raised eyebrows, or the quick look away after they spot the title.   But it’s clear what they are thinking.  Your book is beneath them.   

There was a time when other people’s opinions of what I was reading bothered me, and I would feel the need to explain what I was reading and why.  A John Grisham book?  Well, I am a lawyer, and the book was relevant to my profession.  Arthur Hailey?  Well, I always had an interest in how airports and hotels operate.  Susan Isaacs?  Well, her books were often set on Long Island, where I’m from, and I like reading about towns I’m familiar with

But I don’t do that anymore.  I’ve grown much more comfortable in my reading skin.   If it happens to be that the book I am enjoying has gotten raves from friends and great reviews from respected critics, that’s fine.  But if the critics hate it, and my friends wouldn’t touch it, that’s fine too. I read for me, not for anyone else, and I read for enjoyment.  I’m not embarrassed by anything I read.   I proudly took the print version of Fifty    Shades of Grey out of the library when others would only take it out as an eBook, so nobody could see what they were reading.  (Though I did have an awkward moment while doing so – the librarian had no idea of the subject matter, only that it was quickly becoming one of the most requested books.  So she asked if I could tell her what it was about.  Reading the book was one thing – explaining it to a stranger was another.)

In Liberal Arts, when Jesse, the book snob, first spots the vampire trilogy in Zibby’s room, he asks her if it was good.  She says no.  He then asks her “why read it” and she answers, “Because I like it.”  In response, Jesse says, “That’s no reason to read something“ and Zibby replies: “Why else would you read something?” 

I’m with you all the way on this one Zibby. Never apologize for what you are reading.  Read what you like, with both your book and your head held high.