To Read or Not to Read

What do you do when you and a book don't see eye to eye? Do you finish it because you can't "waste" the book and the money? Do you finish it because it could be better at any moment? I once read a book in Paris that I hated. Hated. It was the Celestine Prophecy. I hated it and I finished it. When I was done, I tossed it across the room into the trash can. I was traveling with Rachelle and I'm sure she remembers the image of the flying book as much as I do. Why did I finish it? It just wasn't worth the trip in the end.



I have been faced with such a dilemma again this week. Twice. First there is White Jazz by James Ellroy, writer of LA Confidential. I liked his non-fiction book about the death of his mother. What is it about this one? First, I like the style. It's written like the clipped, hard-boiled detective fiction of the 50's. But like the 50's and, for that matter, Goodbye Darkness, it represents a time when people's opinions of others were expressed differently and the feelings were different. He uses more terms for black people that I would never use or think in a life-time. It reminds me of that detective Fuhrmann in the Simpson trial. "Did you ever use that word?" "Yes, but it was when I was helping a writer with a book." Was it this book? It's everybody but most white guys. Women, Jews, latinos, Armenians. Holy Cow! It's not just the words but how these people act. I hate this in the book. I like the writing, the story is fairly interesting, but is it worth it to relive the awful 50's?



Then there is the ghastly P.J. O'Rourke with his sick humor in On The Wealth of Nations. The idea is good. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is a bitch to read. Some authors got together and thought it was good for us all if a modern writers could explain some of these classics. Adrian and I started to listen to this on the drive up north. We both finally looked at each other and said, "Bleek." I listen to a podcast of the NPR show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. It's a fun quiz-about-the-news show. They rotate in amusing people to be the panelists each week. The only one that makes me cringe is P.J. O'Rourke. The problem is, he thinks he's really funny. Wrong. But I thought maybe he had a governor on this self-image when he writes. Wrong.

Adrian asked who this guy is who thinks he's so darn funny. I agreed it was pretty horrible and we started to listen to Goodbye Darkness. But, you know, can't just not-read a book. So I tried again this week.

What am I going to do? Throw O'Rourke's book across the room into the trash can before I read another word. And just give Ellroy's book a pass. Dreck and racism be gone. Maybe when you finish something bad, you are giving it tacit approval. Can't do. So on to the search for new reading treasures.