Open Thread: Books You ‘Shouldn’t’ Love But Do?

They’re Guilty Pleasures, Unfashionable, Offensive, Weird, Tacky, Lousy, Whatever. Still, You Can’t Help Yourself: You Love Them

I recently asked about books you feel bad for not liking. You know, everyone says you should love it, so you give it a try. But nah: It does nothing for you. You’re 30, 40, 50 pages in, and the only thing to do is drop it behind your bedside table and question the sanity of anyone who recommended it to you.

But flip it around. What about those books you feel bad for liking? That’s the colorful balloon floated by one respondent, Penelope. It’s a fabulous question. We’ve all got one—or twelve—right? They could be guilty pleasures, outdated, deeply unfashionable, objectionable, offensive, weird, tacky, poorly written, whatever—they’re books the “right” people find wrong, books the polite deem rude, books the in cast out.

I asked Penelope about the books that check that box for her. “One such book is Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” she answered.

Uncle Tom and little Eva.

She continued: “I realize that it’s not perfect, but it’s well-written and explicitly anti-slavery in a way that was groundbreaking at the time. I’m afraid to tell most people I like it because I fear half of them will call me racist and the other half will call me woke.”

The comment instantly hooked my attention. I read Uncle Tom’s Cabin for the first time last year and loved it. I decided to read it for a project and picked it up; by the time I put it down all I could say was wow: Phenomenal book. I’m frankly surprised we don’t talk more about it. Stowe’s narrative style is sometimes clunky and preachy, but the book is undeniably powerful. Tom is an American hero, and there are many compelling characters and passages. It deserves far more engagement and praise than it currently receives.

It’s the perfect example of a book you might love but supposedly shouldn’t these days. Another? Penelope offers Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita: “It’s another book that I fear will cause people to make snap judgments about me, but I liked it because it’s not obscene or graphic, and because Nabokov handles the difficult subject matter as well as it could possibly be handled.”

That got me thinking about other books along the same lines, books that come with political, moral, literary, or otherwise lumpy baggage; books that prompt the snicker, sneer, or snub; books we’re supposed to reject because of controversy, snobbishness, or shifting cultural values. A few came instantly to mind, including Penelope’s suggestions and even the book I reviewed over the weekend. Consider this starter list:

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

• Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

• American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

But there are thousands more, bazillion more, since nearly every reader has a few of these stuffed in their closet. Here’s what I’m interested in: What books do you personally enjoy, cherish, appreciate, and love, but which you’re supposed to loathe for whatever fashionable or expedient reason?

Tell me in the comments. I promise not to forward your answers to your boss, in-laws, or therapist. What are your transgressive titles? I suspect this could be fun.

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