Does the World Need “Bad” Book Reviews?

The New York Times has an interesting discussion this morning about whether or not publications should publish “bad,” or negative, book reviews. The argument goes something like this: books, unlike movies and plays, are a “smaller” medium; since there are so many thousands of books vying for attention, why not devote precious print space to works of quality, and simply ignore the ones that don’t measure up?

(Just about everyone who makes this argument acknowledges that there are certain “high profile” writers, like Stephen King, Dan Brown, or J.K. Rowling, that always justify a review, good or bad, in the interest of their legions of readers.)

So what do I think about negative book reviews? Like virtually all writers, I’ve been the recipient of a few bad ones over the years. At the same time, in my capacity as editor at AfterElton.com and TheTorchOnline.com (two websites I co-founded), I’ve also written a few negative book reviews.

I absolutely think negative book reviews have a place in the world. As one of the writers in that New York Times article says, we authors are not kindergarteners bringing home potato print paintings. We’re professionals, and we know we’re submitting our work to the world for its reaction, for better or worse.

Plus, reviews aren’t about the author anyway. They exist to serve readers. And as a reader, I do sometimes consider them.

All that said, I’m pretty sure that I personally will never write another negative book review, not even on Amazon or Goodreads. In the end, it boils down to two reasons:

(1) The older I get, the less I think there’s any such a thing as a truly “bad” book or movie.

Yes, I still feel passionately about the stuff I hate, but there are usually just as many people who disagree with me. Case in point: I watched Silver Linings Playbook last night, and I thought it was watchable, not terrible, but nothing particularly special. NEVER IN A MLLION YEARS would I have imagined that that particular movie would be at 92% “fresh” on RottenTomatoes.com, or that it would be a “best picture” nominee, or that Jennifer Lawrence would win an Oscar for it.

Since December, I’ve read three “critically acclaimed” books that seemed to me to be very flawed. I’ve read two more that I thought were outright horrible. Was I right, or was it just my personal preference, like not liking cilantro? Who knows?

Sometimes I agree with the review “consensus” of books and movies, and sometimes I don’t, but more and more, it mostly seems somewhat random to me. (Personally, I think it ultimately boils down to our differing brains. Some of us like Jodi Picoult, and some of us like Stephenie Meyer, and it all has more to do with the way we’re wired than it does the books and movies themselves. We’re all so convinced we’re right because, well, we’re us!)

This realization hasn’t caused me to doubt my own opinions; I’m still inside my own brain, after all. But it has taught me to take all reviews with a HUGE grain of salt. They’re just someone’s opinion.

Anyway, since I take the whole business of “reviews” so much less seriously these days, I’m less inclined to devote my precious time and energy to writing them — especially since they’re really hard work to write, and there’s almost never any real money involved.

(2) There’s already so much negativity in the world, and I hate to add to it.

Strictly on the subject of negative reviews, I totally get why they exist, how important they are, and even how they ultimately might make books and writers better than they are.

But I also know how much rejection and humiliation is involved in being a writer (especially in the age of the internet and social media), and how personal it all feels. I simply don’t want to ever make another writer feel bad. And those negative reviews I have written over the years? I kinda wish I could take them back.

(Just to be clear, I am speaking strictly for myself. I’m not judging those who make different “negative review” choices — as I said, I totally get that the world sometimes needs negative reviews. And those people who have taken the time to review me over the years? I totally, TOTALLY appreciate it — especially if you didn’t trash me!)

What do you think of negative reviews? Do they have a place in the world?

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