Any World (That I'm Welcome To)

Or maybe it is, given the book got awards and stuff.

Courtesy of this Requires Hate post - which has some other great links you should check out ("Africans shocked by uncivilized antics of European savages" and the review of AU!Hitler's novel are excellent) - someone is doing a Little Brother read-through which is making me feel so much less alone. It was a book I theoretically should have liked, but there was a constant undercurrent of irritation like sandpaper which left me feeling decidedly unenthusiastic.

There's all the brand name-dropping, which I'm sure was intended to make it feel modern and relevant but just made it feel dated even when it was modern and relevant. There's quotes like "Darryl had fallen in love with her mind. Sad, really," which are probably supposed to sound like a hip teenage guy who really does respect girls, honest, but he can make comments like this ironically - but it's just really alienating and makes him sound like a jerk. There's the fact that he wants us to believe he's all cool and Fights The Man, when in fact all he does initially is... cut school to play games. Supposedly some of the teachers even give good assignments, so it's not like he's cutting classes where he learns nothing for non-traditional learning opportunities. (It's not like learning is work or anything. And besides, he already knows everything he needs to for the next year or so, which is all that matters.) Sure, the school also has over-the-top surveillance... but it's not like he tries to do anything about that other than make sure he personally can escape most of the restrictions. And then when he has something serious to worry about - the point of the book - he treats it pretty much like the same kind of game, while trying to convince us that this time it's serious, for serious. It's real, useful rebellion this time, and he sometimes even thinks about other people's welfare while he does it. It just happens to be totally hip and involves games and concerts and lands him a hot and quirky girlfriend. Meanwhile, his friend is rotting in a secret prison, and his other friends won't go all the way with this "make trouble for the government" plan because their families come from countries where that gets you disappeared - kind of like their disappeared friend, which doesn't seem to register with him - and so the consequences are real to them, and very high. Meanwhile, Our Hero is disappointed in them and fears no consequences himself, not that he really knows what he's signing up for, but he's sure it's a matter of his principles being stronger and has nothing to do with experience! Not that he really has to experience many consequences anyway, because he's conveniently rescued from his torture session after about a minute, is publicly vindicated, and lives happily ever after!

It's the "totally vindicated and lives happily ever after" part that really grates. If he'd learned that he was a smug entitled asshole and made an effort to change, that would have given the first parts of the book meaning and made the happy ending easier to swallow. As it is, you have a well-off white boy who is just braver and cooler than his PoC friends who actually know something about this kind of situation (because only he, who has not suffered oppression, can truly understand how important it is to get over it) taking on the Department of Homeland Security and winning, because as you know, Bob, well-off white boys are just that awesome. Oh, and his amazing leadership skills motivate capable girls to actually do something, because it hadn't occurred to any of them to start a coordinated effort until he and his genius came along. And he forgives his friends for not being as brave and thus creating a magical bravery-shield which would have protected them from getting thrown into Secret Torture Prison and devastating their families. At this point, there was nothing left to sustain my suspension of disbelief, and I started grumbling about how very unlikely it was that (a) he didn't just end up in Secret Torture Prison forever, and (b) that he actually, I repeat, defeated the Department of Homeland Security. If it were so easy, wouldn't you read about some kid and his internet pals exposing DHS cover-ups and forcing them out of a city every other week?

That tumblr is a lot funnier, so you should check it out.

I'm sure everyone has had this experience at some point: the entire world is raving about some book being the best thing in literature since The Canterbury Tales, and yet when you try it, you think it's more like an entry in the Bulwer-Lytton bad writing contest. Or maybe it isn't bad, but you don't see what the big deal is either - it was a good popcorn book, but now you can't even remember the main character's name. (Probably John. Or Jack.)

Here's a two acclaimed fantasy series I didn't like, plus one I eventually did like a lot but with major reservations which unfortunately are looking justified.

( The Chronicles of Narnia )

( The Dark is Rising )

And finally, there is one series I started off disliking immensely, but changed my mind on a re-read, though I never lost my initial wariness. (And now that the author can't seem to finish the series, I think I might be totally justified in distrusting his skills, as admirable as much of his opus is.)

Spoiler for a few character deaths, if anyone needs to know.

( A Song of Ice and Fire )


What much-loved books (or movies or shows) did you not love?