Not Every Book is Readable: Rethinking What We Read || By Vickey David
Not Every Book is Readable: Rethinking What We Read
“Many books are designed to make money rather than to make meaning,” asserts Nicholas Carr, an acclaimed American writer and critic. I cannot help but agree with his statement with equal intensity. It is widely believed that books play a key role in the cognitive cultivation of an individual. However, there are many books sold on online and offline platforms that deal with low-quality content, much like the low-quality social media content available on the web. The major commonality between these two types of content lies in their obvious intent to make money at any cost without offering strong reflective or suggestive articulation. It is time we realize that not all books (especially novels) with lucrative and evocative covers and creamy pages are worth reading or recommending.
With the boom of modern technology in publishing industries, an insane trend has emerged: the desire to become an author by penning everything, including non-sublime and low-quality content, driven merely by the fetish of being called an “author” on social media and in social circles. The creation of such books often involves patchwork, paraphrasing, generative AI, imitation, and other non-creative activities.
What Such Books Contain
Such books, regardless of their genre, often contain seeds of immorality, insecurity, falsehood, nonsense, and unethical messages for future generations. Themes such as love, separation, suspense, and sexuality are the most exploited ones, recycled with new covers, new settings, and new characters—without offering anything original or novel in the real sense.
Language is the medium of expression, but that does not mean that everything unworthy or written merely for the sake of writing should appear in the form of a book. There is a clear rationale behind the politics of producing these low-quality books: the desire to be called a bestseller, even at the cost of writing substandard content. Ironically, aspiring writers often focus on learning how to craft narratives that sell easily rather than creating life-changing books that include humor and humanity. The root desire is to make millions by selling these “one-time-readable” books, similar to OTPs (one-time passwords), rather than producing works of lasting value.
Why Not to Read Low-Quality Books
Abundant productivity can never justify something as a paragon of excellence and creativity. The finest works of art are the most sublimated creations of their creators. When we read, we ruminate, contemplate, and relate ourselves to the candor and contours of true artistry. Genuine books or works of art signify something pathbreaking and enlightening, creating a simulated environment of real life. However, these low-quality books—categorized as “anything literature”—hardly offer something unique or philosophical. They lack creativity, originality, and vivacity. Instead, they instill raw, junk content that should not feed a healthy mind.
Just as we carefully select our diet, we must consciously select the kind of books we read. We do not eat everything sold to us, so why should we read everything compiled in the form of a book? Junk food leads to physical suffering, and cheap, low-quality books impregnate our minds with sugary, superficial ideas that neither appeal to us nor nurture our highest and most sublime imagination.
When placed in the hands of young readers, such books can be as dangerous as guns in the hands of an amateur. It is a plea to parents, especially Indian parents, not to take pride in their sons and daughters randomly indulging in the act of devouring books. Perception is both a destroyer and a preserver. Let us not forget the timeless adage: “All that glitters is not gold.”
(The views expressed are personal.)
It's True, Very Informative David!
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