Fiction vs Non-fiction
If you have paid any attention at all to this blog you know that I don't like non-fiction very much. I generally read to entertain, escape and relax - and to me that means fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy.
I have several non-fiction books on my future reading list now and they should be in at the library any down now.
In some ways I view reading good non-fiction as a kind of self-improvement. So, let exercising more or eating less junk food I should probably do it. But, just like laying on the couch and eating a big bowl of ice cream - good fiction will always be better!
Opinions?
I have several non-fiction books on my future reading list now and they should be in at the library any down now.
In some ways I view reading good non-fiction as a kind of self-improvement. So, let exercising more or eating less junk food I should probably do it. But, just like laying on the couch and eating a big bowl of ice cream - good fiction will always be better!
Opinions?
posted by John Ringer at
8:44 PM
3 Comments:
I understand what you are staying Ringer, but my question is "What's good about non-fiction anyway?"
Life lessons are just as well learned from fiction than from non. While a true story may inspire, a story based on the author's thoughts and imagination makes it no less potent.
I believe truths are conveyed just as clearly through a story as they would be in an essay. Heck, who reads essays anyway?! Even Jesus knew that! He didn't preach, he told very pointed stories to broadcast his message.
Great topic. I look forward to others chiming in.
By
Anonymous, at 2:12 PM
I think that if your goal is to be entertained and learn some life lessons then there is no reason to read non-fiction.
Two of the non-fiction books I am considering reading soon are "Freakanomics" (an economist applies that science to some non traditional topics) and "Power, faith and fantasy: America in the Middle East from 1776 to the present" (an excellent new discussion of US foreign policy in the Middle East.)
There are other non-fiction books I feel that I probably ought to read (1776 for example) but I just haven't.
By
John Ringer, at 6:48 PM
I don't think that you should read anything because you feel that you ought to, you should read a book because you want to read it. However, entertainment and education are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes nonfiction is perceived as too heavy, educational, or not engaging enough for pleasure reading, but that may be a matter of choosing the right book.
There is some really well written, enjoyable nonfiction out there. I'm fond of autobiographies/memoirs (i.e Katherine Graham's Personal History) and books about the natural sciences (Stephen Jay Gould, etc.).
By
Anonymous, at 3:59 PM
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