just a quick question for today, nothing deep. it came to me because i saw something on a wordpress blog i follow. this post was an interview by the blog’s owner, cole ryan, with the author of the book love does, bob goff. in the post is a challenging quote from francis chan:
“Why is it that in the church when Jesus says something you don’t have to do it you just have to memorize it?” Francis Chan
i know for a fact i do a whole lot more memorizing than doing.
but the question made me think in another direction: what are we saying when we say that a book is good? i think the answer to this question is related in some way to the prompting behind francis chan’s, but i haven’t quite put my finger on it. is a book good because it flows well? is it good because it is entertaining? are books that make you uncomfortable good? do they have to communicate an unusual vision? what are we saying when we say that we recommend a book?
A good book typically leaves a mark or impression that is consistent with the purpose of the text. Therefore, a book that can not be understood, typically is not considered good. This impression can be a positive or negative one, but if the content is impactful, most people recognize it. (Personal opinion)
That’s interesting. So, to you, a good book has nothing to do with whether or not you like the message, but everything to do with whether you understood the message. My follow up question then would be, “What would make you recommend a book to a friend or colleague?” In line with the Francis Chan quote, I feel like a good book should move you to do something. Even with fiction, in my opinion a good book should change you somehow. I’m curious about your follow-up comments, just trying to clarify your thoughts since they didn’t occur to me.
Right, a good book is not necessarily one I agree with, but one that fulfills the purpose of the text. There is a difference between a good message and well formulated prose/content. An example for me is “Native Son”: the message and story was conveyed wonderfully (in my opinion), however, I in no way agree with the perspective and blame game that seems to be intrinsic to it. However, it was a good book.
I do agree that the book should change you somehow. It should leave a mark or impression. I gained an understanding of one perspective and approach to the world in “Native Son”. I saw that time through another lens which I couldn’t have done myself.
I am not sure if I clarified my statements, but yeah…..
I think I agree with what you’re saying. The reason this specific question was in my mind is that I had been rating books on my Goodreads app, and thought to myself, “why am i giving this one five stars, this one four, and so on?” didn’t have a very good answer for myself. Then, after reading that Francis Chan quote, I told myself that it was important to think much more carefully about that.