Why my Book Reviews Are NOT for Writers | Book Discussion

This subject has been floating around in my head for a few months, so here are my thoughts about why my book reviews have never, and will never, be about the author and why we should strive to review books and not automatically assume the book and author are one-in-the-same.

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Shameless plugs below:

[SAVYWRITESBOOKS]

this is a great discussion... i'm glad you're opening this up!! we need more videos about this topic!

[JDEstradaWriter]

I think a good example is people wanting to edit Mark Twain and his use of language and I think we should be mature enough to understand. As for reviews, I review everything I read but only video review what I like. I’m always happy when a review I write encourages someone to stay at a hotel, try a restaurant/food/drink, listen to something, or read a book. So here’s to being respectful and like you say, focusing on the book

[AlexBlackReads]

I review everything I read regardless of how I felt, but absolutely agree. I don't review for authors. If I'm critiquing a piece of writing for the writer, I go around it in a completely different way than I would a book review. I will critique the way an author approaches topics if it's in a sexist/racist/etc way, and by extension them. There is a separation between artist and art, but it's not a complete separation and the artist is to blame if they create something that is sexist/racist/etc. (Which is not to say just because a book contains a sexist character it is sexist, it's all about the way it's approached and discussed within the context of the story.)

[tropetrinitytrilogy]

Oh my goodness you might be the first person I've heard on hear saying your character won't have 21st Century ideals... I agree 100%! And I agree you should not attack the author, or project onto them. Also, reading about characters with convenient modern American values feels overly convenient. I like to write flawed people, and explore why and the morals through a 'tainted' lense.

I do review bad books, and analyze the flaws, but I've never insulted the author, and I always talk about what I like. Every book has something good, and I believe it deserves to be pointed out. I try to establish what type of reader may like a book, as opposed to just saying it's bad.

Also, to be honest I feel depicting mental illness honestly from personal experience will also be offensive or upsetting to someone... the reality of them isn't nice.

[bookofkalamity]

I agree with this. This reminds me of the Nora Roberts and Tomi.. something debacle. Where Tomi was accusing Roberts for “stealing” her book title and despite Roberts apologized and tried to straighten things out, Tomi left the tweet up... so her fans went to Goodreads to 1 Star Roberts’ new book coming out based off of that tweet. And that tweet was left up for a week. It’s bullshit and I wish people knew better, to know right from wrong. The reviews should be about the books! And only the books!

[sarahjoygreen-hart]

I appreciate this. I've heard some terrible stories of reviews and boycotts, etc. over this very thing. It baffles (and scares) me!

When I review a book, I include a few words about the author if it seems obvious that they're shining through. I may mention their enthusiasm and creativity, but that's about as far as I go in blending the author and his/her work in a review. I more often mention those things when I can't praise the book for its quality, but still see value in it.

I have to wonder if this blend of author/book is something people have always done, or if it's a new phenomenon. As in, is this behavior a result of a growing lack of ability to think critically? I wouldn't be surprised if there's a connection between this type of author judgment is related to the emphasis on politically correct language and social justice since the slam often focuses on things like racism or homophobia.

There's so much I'd like to say about this (it's a subject I think about often), but I'll spare you. Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it!