Is There Any Benefit To Reading Books You Hate?

There has been a time where a book was assigned in class and we as students were forced to read it to its very bitter end. 

Whether it was in elementary school, middle school or highschool, it was a book we could never forget because of our great hatred for it. 

There are answers as to why students would deeply despise a book. Perhaps the characters were very unpleasant; they had no morals, no goals, their desires were selfish and the reader was expected to feel sympathy for them due to minor inconveniences. 

Maybe a book is disliked because there’s 10 pages in the middle of the story where a tablecloth is being described to its greatest details. Sometimes, it could just be the theme that was controversial or not fully understood among its storyline. 

So many different answers to want to throw a book against the wall. But despite the negative feelings towards it, is there actually any benefit to reading books that we hate?

When we read a book, we absorb the author’s thoughts and we are transported to a whole new world of language and ideas. We meet characters, plotlines and plot twists. But when it comes to reading a disliked book, we become skeptical as we read more and more. We can become uncomfortable with some of the content that eventually, we breathe a sigh of relief when it’s finally over. 

And besides hating the story and characters, what other components and emotions can be brought to the surface after we finish reading it?

Reading a book we detest can help us figure out what we value most and seek in a book. We are going over our values while also arguing with the author’s ideas. We are trying to defend ourselves amidst a novel that has perhaps been proclaimed as one the greatest pieces of literature. That is the difficulty of it. Trying to prove our point of view is right hence where our hatred is coming from. 

Yet we might not be the only ones to hate the book. Your reaction can reach readers; other students who feel the same way can lead to some of the most compelling discussions and arguments about the book. A talk that can go on and on for hours, unloading what parts of the story we wish didn’t exist. 

That’s one of the most cherished parts in being a reader. Bonding over the love or distaste for a book. Imagining a different story that could fit our own personal narrative and becoming a critic where our expectations need to be met or exceeded. 

Books are one of the most treasured items in the world. If you really want to put time into examining the thousands of words written in ink on hundreds of pages to see if you can greatly benefit from its story and elements, start with a book that will certainly make you wish you had never picked it up in the first place.