Stop Book-Shaming

By now I am sure we are all familiar with the act of book-shaming. Perhaps you tell people you don't like a certain book when you do. Maybe you are too embarrassed to read a particular book in public, or maybe you won't even read a certain book at all because you feel ashamed. If this or anything similar has happened to you (and I'm sure it's happened to a lot of us) you have been a victim of book-shaming.

This. Has. Got. To. Stop.

First of all, no one can definitively say whether a book is bad or not; they can only state their opinion, which doesn't really have to matter to anyone else. Even if a book is universally 'bad' (whatever that means), who says that you're not allowed to enjoy it? I know I can only speak for myself here, but in my experience, 'bad' movies or TV shows do not arouse the same level of shame that choosing an unpopular book does.

I do not want to see articles or lists on Goodreads entitled 'Embarrassing books to be seen reading,' or the like. I believe people should not have to hide their interests or choices, especially something as simple as a book, through fear of being judged or ridiculed.

Perhaps you are quite the reader and display your degree in literature proudly in a frame next to your glass cabinet of first edition classics. This is completely fine. However, what is not fine is criticising someone for reading something that is not to your taste, for whatever reason. You gain nothing as a reader or as a person for causing shame in another.

No one should be made to feel like they can't express themselves publicly in the most basic way by enjoying a book on the train. No one should have to sit through 600 excruciating pages of a book they can't stand because having read that book gains a level of respect. No one should feel like they have to lie about having read a certain book for the same reason. No one should feel like they can't read a certain book because they are not an expert in the genre.

We should be promoting reading and not making people feel excluded. This is not to say that you shouldn't review books or discuss your opinions. I vehemently believe that you should. Criticise a book if you want to, but do not criticise or ridicule a person for choosing to read said book. Do not project shame or discomfort onto someone for having literary opinions that differ from yours. Let people make an informed decision about whether they want to read a book based on the content and reviews. Not based on the level of embarrassment they should feel when seen with it.

Instead of mocking someone that happens to be reading and enjoying a book that you dislike, be kind and respect your fellow reader. Start a conversation, share your opinion, and listen to theirs. Maybe it will open your eyes to a new interpretation, maybe you will make a friend. Maybe not. If we encourage and empower each other to read whatever appeals to us then more people might pick up a book knowing that they won't be faced with book snobbery at the shop, or the library, or anywhere else for that matter.

So go ahead, read that young adult novel even if you're not so young. Read that 'chick lit' romance on the train even if you are a man. Read that science-fiction or self help. Read Twilight if you want to. Read anything, anywhere with pride.

Just read.