Officially annoyed.
Okay. There's quite a backlash about a major online book retailer (and the way they handle reviews) right now in some circles. The curious can check out a blog called Dear Author and get the details.
A co-worker and I have been discussing a certain New Agey book put out by a certain New Agey author and promoted by a certain talk show host. I tried to get through the book a month or two ago, and found that it struck me as impractical and basically nonsense.
I posted a one-star review at the major online retailer. I noticed as I did it how rabidly fans of this book would attack negative reviews, but I wanted to put an opinion out there that might keep someone like me from spending money on this book. I understand that there are differences of opinion. I understand that some people find it life-changing.
I didn't like it. It didn't change my life, except that I had used that month's Audible.com credit to buy it, and when I gave up on it, I was left without an audio book for my commute.
My one-star review is gone.
Major online retailer has a policy of removing abusive or irrelevant reviews. Mine, I can assure you, was neither.
I am so creeped out by the thought that people who read and love this book enough to consider themselves "enlightened" are already practicing angry-mob techniques like reporting reviews in order to censor criticism.
It's like trying to play tennis with someone who won't let go of the ball.
Grr!
PS - The book is Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. The talk show host is Oprah.
A co-worker and I have been discussing a certain New Agey book put out by a certain New Agey author and promoted by a certain talk show host. I tried to get through the book a month or two ago, and found that it struck me as impractical and basically nonsense.
I posted a one-star review at the major online retailer. I noticed as I did it how rabidly fans of this book would attack negative reviews, but I wanted to put an opinion out there that might keep someone like me from spending money on this book. I understand that there are differences of opinion. I understand that some people find it life-changing.
I didn't like it. It didn't change my life, except that I had used that month's Audible.com credit to buy it, and when I gave up on it, I was left without an audio book for my commute.
My one-star review is gone.
Major online retailer has a policy of removing abusive or irrelevant reviews. Mine, I can assure you, was neither.
I am so creeped out by the thought that people who read and love this book enough to consider themselves "enlightened" are already practicing angry-mob techniques like reporting reviews in order to censor criticism.
It's like trying to play tennis with someone who won't let go of the ball.
Grr!
PS - The book is Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. The talk show host is Oprah.
Labels: books, stuff i dislike
posted by Katie Alender at
8:36 AM
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8 Comments:
I find the whole situation weird too. Then the whole Dear Author thing got worked up. Emotions- they do run high in this here writing biz.
Indeed, Eileen! I didn't think the DA thing was quite so big a deal until I discovered firsthand how annoying it is that people who disagree with a review will go to such lengths to eradicate viewpoints contrary to their own.
That's so incredibly wrong. It invalidates the good reviews because they no longer represent the people who have read the book who choose to share their opinion.
Bah. I'd be incensed.
Why, oh why, can't I get this life-changing experience out of those kinds of books? I agree: I tried to read another of his books; just googly nonsense. But a certain talk show host gets people to spout all kinds of things via Skype (which reminds me: how much of Skype do you think she owns??).
And so I suppose I can now firmly NOT rely on any reviews besides the Pub. Week. and Booklist that only sometimes accompany a book's description.
When I read a book, I am prepared to be uplifted, entertained, educated -- whatever. Anyway, I don't read a book thinking that I am going to hate it. So when I do happen to dislike a book, I feel that I have a perfect right to express my opinion. Like Gina, I too would be incensed. An honest review is a gift to any author, even if it doesn't happen to be positive.
If I ever get published, I do hope that I don't get an angry posse of supporters who shoot down anyone who isn't in love with my prose. With fans like that who needs sycophants?
I too an annoyed at "A" online bookseller which is why I'm switching to Powell's.
Silly of me to the the right to write honest book reviews fell under the First Ammendment - this subject really got my Irish up at Dear Author - I hope more people boycott "A."
Whoa. I get busy for a few months and come back to find you tearing down the reputation of good literature everywhere!
No, seriously, that IS creepy. I'm less and less enamored of the big-A business model.
Gina, I know. It throws everything off balance. It's kind of a shame.
Tut-tut, you and me both! I feel like I'm just sitting there with my head cocked to one side like a dog while everyone around me swoons. Good thing I have a lot of respect for dogs and don't mind sitting around like one. And I think Skype is pretty well-entrenched in the whole deal. Someone is piling up the dollars thanks to all this enlightenment.
Mary, I think books deserve honest reviews, too. I mean, I've never been a fan of mean-spirited jabs just for their own sake--there are plenty of single-star reviews I could have written but didn't, because I figure maybe the book just isn't for me. But in this case, given the books popularity, I wanted to keep people LIKE me from spending money on something that wouldn't appeal. So I said as much in my first review--that I couldn't wrap my head around it, and I recommended another book that said similar things from a more rational point of view. I didn't think it was mean-spirited as much as informative. Oh well.
Josephine, I know, I couldn't believe the situation over at DA. The whole thing is just nuts.
Therese, you know me, I'm a bona-fide revolutionary! LOL.
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