I was telling my friend I didn't want to write negative book reviews any more. This is true. I will never write a mostly or primarily negative review of any book. If I find myself doing it, I will back off and have someone else do the review.
She asked why, and I gave a fumbling, stumbling answer, but thinking about it more, I decided I don't need to be a negative force about anything. I could worry that some bad book was not sufficiently chastised, but what good would that do?
It feels good to be negative, sometimes. When I got together with colleagues recently, to complain about others, it felt genuinely cathartic. If it weren't pleasurable, we wouldn't do it. But I have to think beyond that gratification.
I was taught in graduate school never to write a negative review. Who needs enemies, was the theory. Now, I would.
ReplyDeleteI have done so in the past. Once, I thought the book would be good and volunteered. The other, I just didn't know it would be bad and did an honest job, but had to go negative. Nobody has complained, though I'm sure they weren't happy.
ReplyDeleteI guess one really should not review a tenure book negatively. Or the book of anyone untenured
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