Discussion: judging people because of books

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!!

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Okay so I had this discussion idea in my drafts for a while labelled as “books that are telling of people’s character,” which I think is the official title of this post. But it definitely is just me judging people based on certain books.

Personally, there are certain things that I find telling of people’s character. How they treat waitstaff, for example, or whether they thank the bus driver. I get really wary of people who are unnecessarily rude to people. I think that’s why I like that Sirius Black quote so much. One of the things I judge people of is their reaction to certain books.

I should clarify that this isn’t book preferences. I don’t judge people for liking romance novels more than literary fiction, for example, because who am I to judge and tell people what books they should like. Who am I to say one type of book is better than another type. I also should just clarify that this isn’t judging people based on their opinions of these books. People can like or dislike these books as much as they want.

It’s more certain books and how you react to them. It’s how people react to specific things about them. I do the same with movies and TV shows. I think what we identify with is a strong indication of our character. So I thought it’d be interesting to talk about some of the books I judge people based off of and why.

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Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

This is one of my all-time favourite books. I think it’s stunningly written and is super interesting. What I find most interesting is the discussion around it. This is clearly a book about love and infatuation, but it’s not a love story. I never trust people who think it’s Dolores’ fault or put any blame on her. It’s victim blaming and overlooking the fact that she is a literal child. I don’t trust people who feel bad for Humbert Humbert even a little, for the same reasons.

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Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Again, Fight Club is one of my favourite books and movies. It’s ultimately a book about toxic masculinity and the dangers associated with it. I don’t trust people who identify with it a little too much, if you know what I mean. Obviously people can love it. I love it so much and think it’s such a great book. But people who think Tyler is such a great genius without seeing his flaws? I don’t trust them. People who don’t seem to get the point about how dangerous toxic masculinity is? And have the entire message fly over their head, even when it’s explained to them (or actively reject it when explained)? Don’t trust them.

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Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

Tbh this one is mainly how you view Sansa. My angel darling Sansa. Let me tell you, I hated her in the first book. Everything she did infuriated me, and every time she talked I wanted to kill her and thought she was so unnecessary. BUT she has some of the best character development in the series. She goes through so much and faces so much hardship. I don’t trust people who still dislike her. I think it just shows a lack of empathy towards women and a lot of internalized misogyny. 

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There was another book, but it’s a little controversial and I couldn’t find a good way to word what I was trying to say and didn’t want to offend anyone, so I left it out.

Let me know your thoughts! Do you do similar things? Do you agree or disagree with me about any of these? Please let me know! I’m interested in what other people think!

Thanks for reading! Ally xx