Nov 16, 2009
Nobody writes books that are important enough for everyone to need to read.
Like this post?
“Must-read” is a legit hyperbolic compliment for books, but when people think it’s literally true, I get nervous.
It smacks of colonialism.
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Related:
- Does any non-biblical author warrant everybody’s attention?
- Are there any good books you don’t like?
- Does the Bible imply a particular intellectual bent for pastors?
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Reminds me of the righteous indignation that would well up in me each time NBC promoted its “Must-See TV.”
I’ve been told that about a number of books only to read them and be left scratching my head wondering what all the hype is about.
Sometimes, the more hype, the less valuable.
Books are like friends. Not everyone is going to like everyone, but the right one at the right time can be powerfully significant.
The Book is probably worth everyone’s time, though it’s folly to many.
This was my first thought… if any book would be considered “must read” or at least “must come to grips with”, it would be the Bible
I, for one, am a big fan of colonialism. It introduced us to the Tri-cornered hat.
Dein Hut er hat drei Ecken, eh?
If it were’t for colonialism we wouldn’t be here… and if we were never here, then cupcakes wouldn’t exist.
And think about what a tragic loss that would be.
(I read recently that our friends across the pond still don’t eat cupcakes. And all this time I had thought they were civilized!)
They eat cupcakes. They just don’t call them by that name.
When I was a young English major, I was stuck on “must-read” lists, thinking I was not truly smart or educated unless I read them.
I still haven’t read most of them but I’m over the guilt of that now. I just read what I want to read.
The new series of “1001 things/places/recordings to do/see/hear before you die” similarly annoys me now, but I’m sure several years ago it would have felt like a burden I must complete.
There is only book I can think of that is a must-read for everyone.
Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
It’s the exception that proves the rule presented here.
Well … it’s a good book, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say must read.
Saying a book is a “must-read” is the quickest way to get me to not read the book.
One possible exception to the above: The Bible
Oh … wait a minute … do you think that’s what Lee Shelton was talking about??? I’m so embarrassed.
I was thinking of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but, yeah, I’d include the Bible too.
I look at the “read” as being past tense, so if it’s “must read” and I haven’t read it yet, then I figure it’s too late.
Glad to know I’m not the only fan of colonialism – especially since I live a Commonwealth country.
God save the Queen!!;)
“I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life.” – Kanye West
He’s just written a book, of which I am a proud non-reader :)
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54P5L820090526
I kind of agree if we are talking about books by human authors. But I’m wondering if there must be an exception or two among them.
Maybe Tortured For Christ by Richard Wurmbrand? Of course there are others like it that would provide the same, or a similar, experience…The Pastor’s Wife, God’s Missiles Over Cuba…although having Read TFC first, I think it contains important things that the others don’t.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. That is one that I didn’t let either of our kids get through high school without reading. Even though I had read The Diary of Anne Frank, Ivan Denisovich, and The Bridge at Andau, The Hiding Place was so different than those and I can’t say that reading any of those could take the place of reading Corrie’s book.
You can get a free copy of Tortured For Christ at http://www.persecution.com.
NO must read except the Bible. We should want to read some non fiction about the history of our nation. Considering our political climate here, maybe we should all read the Constitution again, I know it’s not a book, but…
What do you mean by colonialism? And why is it undesirable to smack of it?
Colonialism is all about taking your views and presenting them as superior to anyone elses, such as white people trying to take over Africa “for their own good” and disregarding their lifestyle or choices or inherent worth. When you say something is a must-read, you’re imposing your experience on someone else, making your judgment universal. Christianity is very good at this (though not exclusively so).