I’m salty about book reviews. I track what I read on the app, Goodreads, and sometimes I pop over there and check out reviews before I grab a new book to see what other folks thought about it. I go look at reviews after I read a book, too, to see if other folks liked/hated it as much as me. Y’all, folks are crazy.
I’m dying to write a book, but I better develop a backbone of steel first. These people nitpick every, little thing, from writing style to word choice. They gripe about how liberal- or right-leaning an author is, complain about the author’s representation of his or her religion (the “Christians” are ruthless), and even question the author’s own love for family, work, whatever.
And then…privilege. Lordy, privilege. A self help author can’t offer tips on how to overcome loss, recommend ways to avoid becoming “lost” in work, or urge readers to take personal time away from their kids occasionally without being accused of melodrama. The haters come out in force to claim that if one lives in a nice house, has the opportunity to travel, or is well known, they can’t possibly know how the “normal person” or “ordinary wife/mom” must feel what with all that “privilege”. What?!
From now on, I think I’ll ditch my usual vibe check over at Goodreads and just wing it. Either I will like the book, or I won’t. I will relate to the author, or I won’t. I will find them genuine and substantive, or I won’t. Perusing the Goodreads reviews for book commentary is akin to consulting WebMD for the outlook on an illness. Either makes you think the apocalypse is nigh, complete with suffering, death, and dismemberment. Goodness. No, thanks.
OH! And on the subject of authors, book writing, and critiques, I signed up for my very first writing workshop! It’s live online tomorrow evening. I am stoked…and scared! But hey, fear keeps us from our dreams, and I ain’t about that. Let’s go!
Meanwhile, I’ll be fortifying my backbone, because I’m sure my Judgement Day is coming. Uugghh.
Amanda Herring, Writer 