The Book That Harmed You The Most

[Sadena Meti]

As a companion for the Ten Most Harmful Books topic, what one book harmed you the most?

My vote goes for Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It is a prequel (written by a different author) to Jane Eyre (which wasn't that good either). I had to read it for a class, and I think it was the book that killed my interest in "literature" forever. So badly written I wanted to kill myself instead of finish the text.

[Matty_UK]

Originally posted by rev-[email protected] 23 2006, 09:34 PM
As a companion for the Ten Most Harmful Books topic, what one book harmed you the most?

My vote goes for Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It is a prequel (written by a different author) to Jane Eyre (which wasn't that good either). I had to read it for a class, and I think it was the book that killed my interest in "literature" forever. So badly written I wanted to kill myself instead of finish the text.
Ditto. You must have been doing the same Literature course as me, fucking dire book.

[Eleutherios]

The Culture of Make Believe by Derrick Jensen. It's pretty much a 1,200-page primitivist ranting on how civilization and technology are inherently evil and how the world is going to hell in a handbasket because of it.

[loveme4whoiam]

Possibly Cantana-140 by Philip K. Dick. The guy may well have wrote some amazing books (havent read them) but that was like having teeth pulled through your ear.

[Publius]

Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?

[Whitten]

The Capitalist Manifesto - Andrew Bernstein

I read it when I was starting to become interested in politics and economics, and it was actually so flawd it pushed me into socialism...

[Eleutherios]

Originally posted by Publius
Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?
That reminds me of that one South Park episode:

A parade is in progress for Officer Barbrady. The crowd cheers him on.
Officer Barbrady: Thank you everybody! Thank you!
Townsperson: Speech! Speech!
The crowd quiets in anticipation of a speech.
Officer Barbrady: What?
Stan: They want you to give a speech, Officer Barbrady, about the whole experience over the last couple of days.
Officer Barbrady: Oh. Okay...(to the crowd) Well, first of all I'd like to thank the town of South Park, the town that borne me and eventually will rob me of my life precious.
The crowd cheers.
Officer Barbrady: Second, I'd like to say to all those out there who think they can screw chickens just to teach people to read: your days are numbered!
The crowd goes wild.
Officer Barbrady: And finally, I'd like to say that reading totally sucks ass!
Kids: Hurray!
The crowd looks confused.
Officer Barbrady: Yes, at first, I was happy to be learning how to read. It seemed exciting and magical. But then I read this --
Barbrady holds up a copy of Atlas Shrugged
Officer Barbrady: Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. I read every last word of this garbage and because of this piece of shit, I'm never reading again!
Stan and Kyle: Hurrah for Barbrady!

[Dean]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23 2006, 10:13 PM
Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?
A teacher suggested I read her works. I was appaled when I read about the type of person she was; upon reading enough about her from others who support her crap I realized that she set out to make the anti-communism. She was a communist, that is not the question: the problem is that she hated herself, and sought to purge her own knowledge of what was clear and true by admiring a clearly evil drive.

[chimx]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23 2006, 10:13 PM
Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?
hey, that's what i was going to say!

i actually only read about 1/3 of it and became fed up with it. maybe it didn't have a happy ending then?

[RevSouth]

As I Lay Dying. I can appreciate good writing, but I don't really like Faulkner's style. Stream of Consciousness can be tough.

[tecumseh]

although i have never read as i lay dying i have the sound of fury and a rose for emily. so its difficult for me to understand what you disliked so much about faulkners writing.

also im going to assume as i lay dying is a short story, was it in nonlinear format?

[violencia.Proletariat]

Things Fall Apart

[Zero]

Originally posted by "tecumseh"
was it in nonlinear format?
It is a writing syle called 'stream of conciousness' basically the top floating thoughts in your mind as they come to you, unedited.

[Dean]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2006, 03:09 AM
Things Fall Apart
Why? I found it to be very interesting, though I don't remember it much.

[violencia.Proletariat]

Originally posted by Dean+Jul 23 2006, 11:54 PM--> (Dean @ Jul 23 2006, 11:54 PM)
[email protected] 24 2006, 03:09 AM
Things Fall Apart
Why? I found it to be very interesting, though I don't remember it much. [/b]
It would be somewhat worthwhile if he cut out all that shit about yams.

[Morag]

The Pigman. Or My Darling My Hamburger. Or really anything by Paul Zindel... god, I can't stand him. I managed to overcome my hatred of him and keep reading, but it was a close close thing.

Ayn Rand is a distance second to Zindel.

[EneME]

3 way tie: The Iliad by Homer, some books from the bible(can't remember exactly which ones right now), or Brown by Richard Rodriguez...they all caused me to cry A LOT in frustration and anger...

[ebeneezer]

Yeah I agree the Illiad is so not up to the Odyssey.

And Wild Sargasso Sea is a total joke compared to Jane Eyre.

[encephalon]

Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?

I'm genuinely surprised that you say that. But I agree, wholeheartedly. In fact, her other books are shit as well.

[godofthunder]

Atlas Shrugged, hands down. Took me about 2 years to recover from the False Conciousness when I read it at 18.

What is with Ayn Rand and her rape fantasies? Wierd.

[loveme4whoiam]

How come so many people have read Atlas Shrugged? I mean, I've only heard ever bad things about Ayn Rand and I know nothing about her, so how did so many people get suckered into what is, apparently, the most abhorent book ever written?

[Eleutherios]

Really. You're almost making me want to read it just to see what the fuss is all about.

[RevSouth]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23 2006, 10:06 PM
although i have never read as i lay dying i have the sound of fury and a rose for emily. so its difficult for me to understand what you disliked so much about faulkners writing.

also im going to assume as i lay dying is a short story, was it in nonlinear format?
Stream of Consciousness, as Zero stated. No, it is a book. I've read a Rose for Emily, and that was pretty good, but I didn't like the characters in this one as much.

[Publius]

How come so many people have read Atlas Shrugged? I mean, I've only heard ever bad things about Ayn Rand and I know nothing about her, so how did so many people get suckered into what is, apparently, the most abhorent book ever written?

I was told by a bunch of libertarians that it was a great 'libertarian' book.

I read it (over like, 2 months, because it was so boring) and found it to be lackluster, but bearable.

Then I got the 'John Galt's 60 FUCKING PAGE MONOLOGUE. I shit you not. Something like 60 straight pages of him speaking. I don't think I'm exaggerating either. I know it's over 40.

I read maybe 5 pages of it, and noticed that it was just the same point over, and over, and over, and over, in 5 pages it was already too long and repetitive.

I skipped the next like 40, and finished out the book.

Overall, it's poorly written, at best, but having a 60 page monologue of that 'quality' is just inexcusable.

Toss in the fact that her 'philosophy' is a joke and it's just one of the worst reads in the world.

What's odd is, you get the exact same philosophy reading her short novella Anthem. It's not great, but it's bearable (it reads exactly the same, it's just 1000 pages shorter.)

[Zero]

Originally posted by "Publius"
having a 60 page monologue of that 'quality' is just inexcusable.
They should have made it just one big run on sentince and enter it into the Guiness Book of World Records.

[Publius]

They should have made it just one big run on sentince and enter it into the Guiness Book of World Records.

I think they may have one: I looked (I was trying to find this) and found 4 straight pages without a single indentation; no new paragraphs.

One paragraph (during a monologue; one of many) that went 4 pages without a single indentation.

[Sadena Meti]

Originally posted by Zero+Jul 24 2006, 07:23 PM--> (Zero @ Jul 24 2006, 07:23 PM)
"Publius"
having a 60 page monologue of that 'quality' is just inexcusable.
They should have made it just one big run on sentince and enter it into the Guiness Book of World Records. [/b]
Actually the longest runon was a book written in the first half of the last century, I can't remember by who, it was a "dada-ist". The book was... hard to describe this... the written sounds of an entire symphony.

Like "rum-tum-da-da-da-te-tum-te-tum-te-tum".

I seem to recall it was 200+ pages.

The 20's and 30's were very boring and people did a lot of strange things to keep themselves busy.

[Tungsten]

Publius

Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?
It was about 700 pages too long. The rest is more or less repetition of the same theme. The English in places wasn't too good either (was it even proof read?)
godofthunder

What is with Ayn Rand and her rape fantasies? Wierd.
That's a good question. From what I remember, there weren't any rape scenes in Atlas Shrugged. Either you're confusing it with the other book, the Fountainhead (I can't confirm, I've only flicked through it), or Billy Bullshit is knocking at your door.

My nomination: Jade Goody's autobiography. I don't like that shitty big brother show, so I knew very little about this person other than what the media has fed me (which has so far depicted her as being as thick as shit). But no, they were telling the truth for a change; she really does have the mental age of a ten year old. Writes like one too.

Have a look at this idiot and tell me only the rich can be sucessful.

[Zero]

Originally posted by rev-stoic+Jul 26 2006, 01:59 PM--> (rev-stoic @ Jul 26 2006, 01:59 PM)
Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2006, 07:23 PM

"Publius"
having a 60 page monologue of that 'quality' is just inexcusable.
They should have made it just one big run on sentince and enter it into the Guiness Book of World Records.
Actually the longest runon was a book written in the first half of the last century, I can't remember by who, it was a "dada-ist". The book was... hard to describe this... the written sounds of an entire symphony.

Like "rum-tum-da-da-da-te-tum-te-tum-te-tum".

I seem to recall it was 200+ pages.

The 20's and 30's were very boring and people did a lot of strange things to keep themselves busy. [/b]
Holy moly! :o Thats amazing!

Thats like the absolute worst get-rich-quick scheme.

[Janus]

Pride and Prejudice.

I am now officially prejudiced against this book.
:wacko:

[Floyce White]

Ivanhoe. It's supposed to be good for kids, but is openly anti-semitic.

I also read some awful feminist book in the '80s where the author said that nuclear missiles are phallus substitutes. (Some feminist gave me the book and said it was really good.)

If you like run-on sentences, read Bob Avakian in Red Papers 7.

[The Sloth]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23 2006, 10:13 PM
Atlas Shrugged.

Books cannot get worse than this.

Can they?
you're very right.. ayn rand is pretty terrible.

fiction is, after all, a metaphysical translation of experience.. it's certainly not a political statement, or a statement of any kind, for that matter, so when a novel, or a poem, or a story, puts philosophy at its core, and creative merit in the background, then it becomes shit rather quickly.

[The Sloth]

Originally posted by [email protected] 25 2006, 01:11 AM
I think they may have one: I looked (I was trying to find this) and found 4 straight pages without a single indentation; no new paragraphs.

One paragraph (during a monologue; one of many) that went 4 pages without a single indentation.
not always bad, though.

after all, molly's monologue at the end of "ulysses" runs a few dozen pages.. and it's hard for me to consider it bad. virginia woolf's "the waves" is all-monologue, too.. difference between "the waves" and "atlas shrugged," however, is this: one of those books is creative.

experimentation is good.. depending on the skill of the author.