In Defense of Books That Bite

I came across this quote from Franz Kafka:

"Altogether, I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn’t shake us awake like a blow to the skull, why bother reading it in the first place?"

As a writer, I try to write books that at least prod, if not bite and sting, and try to shake people awake, but not necessarily so roughly as a blow to the skull. To turn the question around, I would ask, why bother writing in the first place, if you haven't something important to say?

Alas, most readers prefer not to be bit or stung or smacked in the head. And, think well of themselves when they warn other readers off the dangers of an unwanted disturbance of their slumber with often slanted and distorted one-star reviews.

I don't decry their right to their opinion but I do wish there were more readers like Kafka.