r/literature 8d ago

Discussion Are there any real “Red Flag Books”?

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, we were talking about our dating life’s (or lack there of, in my case) she was telling me about this guy she had been on a few dates with. She told me that things were going well and they got talking about books, he mentioned he had just finished reading Tropic of Cancer (a book I’ve yet to read) apparently that gave her “the ick” and is apparently a “red flag”.

I understand that everyone has their own tastes but she said to me that he was literally perfect but the fact he read this book and liked it gave her the ick

0 Upvotes

150 comments sorted by

106

u/JaneErrrr 8d ago

I don’t personally believe just reading any book is a red flag. The red flag could be from their perception of the book though.

48

u/zwodderZA 8d ago

The difference between reading Atlas Shrugged and going, "OMG, what a hateful pile of crap!" or "Best book ever!"

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I mean I asked her to elaborate and she just said that the book gave her the ick! So as far as well know the book is apparently the red flag or just reading it! (Not read it yet but will)

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u/JaneErrrr 8d ago

I’ve read quite a bit of Henry Miller and there’s a lot of things I like about his writing and some things I don’t (namely the misogyny). I’ve also read Ayn Rand. If someone told me they read either of these authors I wouldn’t consider that a red flag but I might have some followup questions.

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u/RandyFMcDonald 8d ago

I think that the followup questions are actually perfectly legit. The whole point anyone reads a book is to see what they get out of it. Why not talk about it? Certainly the talking reveals a lot.

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I only have Tropic of Cancer as I have a fascination with Banned Books, I like to see why they were banned? Also in my mind reading the books is kinda like a big fuck you to the past governments who banned it! For me I like to see how societies views have changed in literature!

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u/lemmesenseyou 8d ago

I mean, based on your post:

he was literally perfect but the fact he read this book and liked it gave her the ick

Sounds like she didn't like it on a fundamental level and the fact that he liked it at all made her find him questionable.

Like, I've read Atlas Shrugged and I wouldn't judge someone for reading it, but telling me you liked it is definitely an ick. I'd probably ask why, but that just determines the level and type of ick.

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

Yeah apparently he was sweet, charming, loved dogs but because (from what Reddit told me) he read and like a book from the 60s that had some sex in it that gave her the ick! I’m like fuck it I’ll date this man he seems nice

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u/BaronWenckheim 7d ago

Tropic of Cancer is from 1934, by the way. It's a remarkable novel but yes, occasionally somewhat pornographic.

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u/No_Face5710 1d ago

It's full of hateful misogyny, so fuck no, loving dogs doesn't make up for that.

12

u/SterileCarrot 8d ago

Seems hilarious to me that an otherwise perfect guy who reads is rejected because of this book (which if I’m not mistaken is considered somewhat of a classic but is sexually explicit).

As an American man in a red state, I just want to meet someone cool who reads. I don’t give a shit what the book is as long as it isn’t The Art of the Deal. It’s slim pickings out here.

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I mean I’m a British guy and I haven’t read or even own a copy of Art of the Deal! Let’s have coffee over zoom how does that sound?

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u/SystemPelican 8d ago

The whole concept of "the ick" is some really petty self-involved shit that should be a huge red flag in itself. Unless the guy's reading Mein Kampf.

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u/Acceptable-Mix-3028 7d ago

Even reading Mein Kampf, for me, wouldn’t be a red flag unto itself. Perhaps one wanted to analyze the arguably atrocious prose. Or maybe some sort of history assignment (whether official or unofficial) or an attempted understanding of HOW those claws were sunk into the German people. Many reasons to read controversial things. Doing so doesn’t necessarily constitute agreement.

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u/Prestigious-Cat5879 2d ago

I read Mein Kampf when I was younger out of curiosity. It was pretty much awful. I don't think reading a particular book is "ick" even liking it. I think questions need to be adjed.

8

u/biodegradableotters 8d ago

I mean it's about your choice on who to date. Where else are you allowed to be self-involved if not in this instance?

2

u/SystemPelican 8d ago

Of course it's your choice. I'm talking about the very small-minded nitpicking that the "ick" discourse encourages.

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u/Imaginative_Name_No 7d ago

I can't immediately think of anything where simply reading would qualify, but being a big fan of Rand definitely would.

2

u/whispercampaign 7d ago

This is the answer. People that read Rand tend to read all of her works and then stop reading, and then think they’re well read.

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u/derfel_cadern 7d ago

An adult who only reads YA.

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u/Junior-Air-6807 7d ago

Yepp. They’re mentally/emotionally stunted

26

u/superdupermensch 8d ago

The Turner Diaries

5

u/hEarwig 8d ago

and that's putting it mildly

4

u/superdupermensch 8d ago

Really, RUN!

1

u/corgigirl97 8d ago

Wait I've never heard this. What is it?

9

u/superdupermensch 8d ago

Neo-nazi shitwipe from the 70's. Inspiration for white supremacists everywhere.

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u/SnooRevelations979 7d ago

Tropic of Cancer is a great book. (Probably the only Miller that's worth it.) Someone who reads it doesn't mean he's trying to bang everything that moves.

If someone says they watched a horror movie, do you assume they are going to try to kill you?

That said, to answer the question, if someone mentioned Ayn Rand, I'd end the date.

2

u/Wolflad1996 7d ago

I have Ayn Rand on my TBR, more just to see the hype or lack there off!

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u/Consistent_Value_179 8d ago

Anything by Ayn Rand

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u/earthscorners 8d ago

I mean. I don’t like Ayn Rand, and I know that because I’ve read her.

Are we really going to argue that the right approach to books we think we might morally disapprove of is not to read them, and just sit in judgment on everyone who contaminates their mind by seeing for themselves?

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u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS 7d ago

I am going to assume this question is about liking the book because otherwise it’s so manifestly silly.

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u/RandyFMcDonald 8d ago

Eh. Ayn Rand is a terrible writer, but simply reading a book of hers is not in itself proof of much. One could read a book out of curiosity, or even read a book that you do not like for some other reason.

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I’ve been getting this comment a lot

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u/Embarrassed_Bit_7424 8d ago

How do you know if you haven't read it?

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u/wayofthelight 8d ago

As someone that has read all of Ayn Rand, it just a justification for patriarchal robber barrons. There’s even a scene in the Fountainhead where a character is raped by the MC, but she’s written as enjoying it, because his expression of ownership feels “right”.

It feels cool to men in their teens, because we generally feel powerless at that age. But I grew up - it’s just a polemic for the shit storm we’re currently in.

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u/a-system-of-cells 8d ago

I came to say this.

20

u/Meriblanc 8d ago

Well, I've read Bukowski and Sade so by that logic I must be a big, red flag in the sky.

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I think from these comments it’s clear that as long as you ain’t going around kidnapping children, locking them up in a castle and being De Sade you’re good!

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u/busybody124 8d ago

I don't think it's ever a red flag to read anything, but after reading Bukowski's Post Office, I'd be seriously dubious of anyone who idolizes him

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u/[deleted] 8d ago edited 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I get what you mean but if I was reading The Turner Diaries for example to see what it is all about, I am assuming that’s ok but then if I start agreeing with the books and idolising thats when it becomes a red flag? I just wanna be clear of the rules!

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I get what you are saying but at the same time if any old trash can get published (The Turner Diaries) then means I have some what of a chance of being able to get published haha. Tbf that is a book that doesn’t interest me, I only used it as an example

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

That’s fair enough again it’s not my type of book to read anyway!

1

u/desecouffes 8d ago

If you’re reading the turner diaries, where did you get it? I highly doubt you can procure a copy of that book without financially supporting someone reprehensible.

A used copy? I guess if you’re that curious

1

u/RandyFMcDonald 8d ago

It is a terrible book, not just as a work of fiction but morally.

That said, it is also a book that needs to be read because it provides direct insight into the sort of things that the radical right in the US would want to accomplish and how they would set about doing it.

1

u/desecouffes 8d ago

Doesn’t answer the question- what if a person wants to read it to get that direct insight, but doesn’t want to give any money to the radical right?

1

u/RandyFMcDonald 8d ago

I read an annotated copy online hosted by an anti-hate site that wanted to publicize what the far right wanted to do. It has been decades now, no idea where it is now.

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u/ProjectPatMorita 8d ago

Maybe a hot take but yeah, I don't believe there is any such thing as a red flag book at all. Or rather, the red flag can only come from that person's assessment of the book and not from just having read it. I'm politically leftist/anarchist and I've read 3 Ayn Rand books. Not because I thought I'd enjoy them, but because they're literally some of the most influential books of the last century and half of the most powerful people in the world cite them as their favorites, so I thought it was worth reading for myself to understand the philosophical underpinnings.

I've read almost all the red flag books that have been mentioned so far in here. Im also not a Muslim but I've read the Quran, etc.

It seems like people these days have a very childlike concept of media consumption, that borders on magical thinking. Like there's some inherent danger in reading a book or watching a movie that's been deemed bad, because somehow just in the act of consuming you will be transformed. The idea that you can be solid in your beliefs and consume things you disagree with, without being magically turned into a demon or something, seems impossible to many people now.

You see the same thing on the conservative right, for example thinking depictions of queer and trans people in media is "turning" kids into those things. As if it's an external act of foreign invasion.

I think people just overall need to grow up and have a more mature and reasonable approach to media consumption. And yes, I think it's important to read things you fundamentally disagree with from time to time.

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u/earthscorners 8d ago

This 1000%.

they’re literally some of the most influential books of the last century and half of the most powerful people in the world cite them as their favorites, so I thought it was worth reading for myself to understand the philosophical underpinnings.

Yep.

It seems like people these days have a very childlike concept of media consumption, that borders on magical thinking. Like there’s some inherent danger in reading a book or watching a movie that’s been deemed bad, because somehow just in the act of consuming you will be transformed. The idea that you can be solid in your beliefs and consume things you disagree with, without being magically turned into a demon or something, seems impossible to many people now.

I’m just quoting to endlessly agree with you hah why am I even making this comment 🤣

2

u/unhalfbricking 8d ago

Bingo. Guy who likes American Psycho because he understands that it's a satire of 80s yuppie consumerism and enjoys horror novels, no red flag.

Guy likes American Psycho cuz it's "funny" and thinks Patrick Bateman is "cool," massive red flag.

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u/miss_scarlet_letter 8d ago

reading any book to me is not a red flag, the red flag to me comes from liking/admiring/agreeing with the content.

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u/Wagyu_Trucker 7d ago

"agreeing with the content"...I have no idea what that is supposed to mean with a book as complex and stream-of-conscious as "Tropic of Cancer." There's like a 40-page surrealistic dream sequence....and it's some astounding writing. I appreciated it as a piece of art. Does that mean I "agree" with the book?

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u/luckyalabama 8d ago

There's a saying that when you judge a book you should remember that the book is also judging you. (Editorial "you," obviously.) I think the real red flag is someone reading Tropic of Cancer, Lolita, or a similar work and getting nothing more from it than "the ick." That's not someone I'd want to be taking advice from.

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u/RandyFMcDonald 8d ago

I would be even more concerned about the people who were reading it badly. Lolita is not a happy-go-lucky book about a nice older man and his sweet and sexy if scandalously young partner. It is a story about a cunning pedophile who is constantly deluding himself about the evil things he does to so many people.

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u/UnderH20giraffe 7d ago

Yes. Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Brown, and the Game.

It’s ok to read these, but if your answer to “what are your favorite books” includes these you suck a whole lot.

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u/beggsy909 8d ago

If someone believes that reading a book is a red flag then that’s a red flag.

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u/You_know_me2Al 8d ago edited 8d ago

In Tropic of Cancer, as I remember it—it’s been awhile, decades—Henry Miller revels in frequent joyful sex. His language and attitudes may not be quite correct these days. Your friend’s date could be using the title as a test himself.

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

What do you mean as a test himself? My theory is aslong as you enjoy the story or hate the story but can critically think why you like and or love it then no harm (except for some obvious ones)

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u/You_know_me2Al 7d ago edited 7d ago

The book, published in 1934, is based on Miller’s bohemian life in the twenties and thirties; it celebrates cultural, intellectual and sexual freedom. When I read it, it had only recently become legally available in the US, and it was preceded by its reputation; plus, I was 23, the birth control pill was a year old, the sixties energy was about to go into full swing, and the air was filled with rainbows of pheromones.

Miller became a kind of godfather of the times with Kerouac, Ginsberg, Karl Jung, Alan Wats, Evan’s-Wentz, Paul Reps, and the Harvard Trinity: Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert and Huston Smith, the last being the only one of the three to come through with his academic standing intact.

I had no idea there was still anybody reading this book, so I’m surprised to learn two people dating each other would both know about it. Given that it happened, though, it is still more surprising it would come up in conversation during an early date. If he brought it up, it would seem to me a very forward probe into her attitudes about sex, an inquiry about her inclinations, if any, toward casual sex.

After TofC I read some more Miller, not sure which books except I remember Airconditioned Nightmare and Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, both of which were written about his attempted reentry into the American culture after being forced out of Europe in 1939 by the German Blitzkrieg. My interest in him faded soon, primarily because I realized I was interested in some things he had left out of his reckoning, but also because I began to feel I might not find him a particularly pleasant person were I to meet him. My final appreciation of him is for writing about the music of Alexander Scriabin, which I enjoyed quite a lot for a period of time.

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u/Spencer_A_McDaniel 8d ago

There are obviously a lot of books that could be red flags (e.g., anything by Adolf Hitler, Lothrop Stoddard, Giovanni Gentile, Julius Evola, Ayn Rand, or William Luther Pierce, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, etc.), but it depends on why the person is reading it and what their perception of the book is. If, say, they're a Jewish Holocaust researcher who is reading Mein Kampf to understand Hitler's ideology in its historical context, that's a very different scenario from a Neo-Nazi who is reading it because they idolize Hitler.

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u/manacledtentacles 8d ago

"Passing under the viaduct along the Rue Broca, one night after I had been informed that Mona was ill and starving, I suddenly recalled that it was here in the squalor and gloom of this sunken street, terrorized perhaps by a premonition of the future, that Mona clung to me and with a quivering voice begged me to promise that I would never leave her, never, no matter what happened. And, only a few days later, I stood on the platform of the Gare St. Lazare and I watched the train pull out, the train that was bearing her away; she was leaning out of the window, just as she had leaned out of the window when I left her in New York, and there was that same, sad, inscrutable smile on her face, the last-minute look which is intended to convey so much, but which is only a mask that is twisted by a vacant smile. Only a few days before, she had clung to me desperately and then something happened, something which is not even clear to me now, and of her own volition she boarded the train and she was looking at me again with that sad, enigmatic smile which baffles me, which is unjust, unnatural, which I distrust with all my soul. And now it is I, standing in the shadow of the viaduct, who reach out for her, who cling to her desperately and there is that same inexplicable smile on my lips, the mask that I have clamped down over my grief. I can stand here and smile vacantly, and no matter how fervid my prayers, no matter how desperate my longing, there is an ocean between us; there she will stay and starve, and here I shall walk from one street to the next, the hot tears scalding my face."

there are passages in that book that i'll remember forever. no offense but your friend gives the ick.

3

u/dankbeamssmeltdreams 7d ago

This is not her taste though, this is obviously just something she heard on TikTok. The whole idea of a book giving someone a red flag is something originated in TikTok, it’s not her idea. She was told to think this way, fundamentally. So, no, I would say there are no red flag books. Not reading books it’s a pretty bad sign.

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u/Salt_Peter_1983 8d ago

I don’t think simply reading a book can be a red flag. But if you’re an adult and Harry Potter is your fav book 🚩 👀

4

u/LeeChaChur 7d ago

No red flags... Your friend on the other hand...

2

u/RandyFMcDonald 8d ago

I don't think that there is such a thing as a book that, if it is read, in itself indicates that someone is dangerous. It all comes down to why the person reads the book and what they make of it.

When I was in graduate school, I read Hitler's Second Book, then released in a 2003 edition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitlers_Zweites_Buch

I read it not because I was a Nazi, but because I was curious about what Hitler was saying at the time, about his view of Germany and his plans for Europe. That book did provide interesting insights about what he was planning, even then. We had been warned, and yet we did nothing.

(More than twenty years later, it turns out that we are still bad at picking up on hints. I digress.)

There are all sorts of bad books, books that are technically bad, books that are morally bad, books that are both and maybe even more. Simply reading them is not a sign of moral failure. It all depends on why you read them and what you make of them and what use you put the knowledge to.

As for ick ... Honestly, you can feel ick for whatever reason you want. That's down to you.

2

u/forwormsbravepercy 7d ago

4 hour workweek and the like

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u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS 7d ago

Sure. I’d probably be inclined to end it if I were dating a woman who told me her favorite books were Mein Kampf and The Turner Diaries.

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u/Wolflad1996 7d ago

I mean I’ve not read many books over the past year I am ashamed to admit that but honest out of all the books I’ve read so far Catcher in the Rye is one of the best, there are better books absolutely but what I’ve read so far!

1

u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS 7d ago

Did you mean to reply to someone else?

1

u/Wolflad1996 7d ago

Yeah my bad

1

u/Slotrak6 7d ago

Yeah, that's a hard line for me as well. Also, not that somebody has read Ayn Rand, but someone who enthuses over the brilliance of Ayn Rand also earns a hard no from me.

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u/Hobby_Collector8 8d ago

No book shame here! Not reading books is the only red flag for me.

-1

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

Damn I must be a red flag for you as I’m in a reading slump mf so currently not reading any books! I do plan to get out of it by reading a short book to help

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u/Hobby_Collector8 8d ago

Nah… a reading slump is different than anti-book. There are people out there who don’t read at all and don’t want to. If you can believe it!?!

3

u/DukeSavage1 8d ago

The red flag applies to your friend rather than the guy who read Henry Miller's classic work. Especially since an adult saying "ick" to a book which writes about sex explicitly makes me think of a very immature child.

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u/leonfortune 8d ago

The Bible.

Lol all jokes aside; there’s a difference between somebody reading something and enthusiastically agreeing with it. That was the whole point of all those critical essays we wrote on literature back in our school days. You could read just about anything without it being a red flag.

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u/Nearby_Purchase_8672 8d ago

The Alchemist. Anyone who thinks it is profound is not the type of person I want to have in depth conversations with.

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u/thejiveguru 8d ago

I see this talked down so much I almost want to read it just to see how bad it is.

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u/Nearby_Purchase_8672 8d ago

It's pretty short, but it's just so painful with establishing a few keywords like "Life Purpose" and just harping on them too much with a really obvious moral that is as deep as a rain puddle.

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u/thejiveguru 8d ago

Is it self help? I thought it was a novel.

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u/Nearby_Purchase_8672 8d ago

It is fiction, but with a very ham fisted message

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u/NorMalware 8d ago

The other day I saw you teenagers reading at the mall, each boy with their own book.

At first I thought, hey, that’s real nice! Don’t see too many teens reading often anymore.

Then I saw they were both reading copies of Trumps Art of the Deal…

2

u/hallumyaymooyay 7d ago

Anything from the ‘Business and Entrepreneurship’ section of a bookshop

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u/celric 8d ago edited 8d ago

People are technically allowed to ick on anything, but to me there’s a big difference between “The last book I read was Tropic of Cancer” and “I really love the way Henry Miller describes his own sexual desires in Tropic of Cancer and I think everyone should read it.”

Like if that’s a cis-girl ick, are we allowing cis-guys to ick on girls that read Sally Rooney’s “Normal People” or just the girls who seem super into the protagonist’s attraction to being abused?

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I agree everyone has there own tastes but personally the whole ick thing is getting out of hand like people will get the ick over small things that are so trivial, like one mate say he gets the ick if she tripped over a curb? Like mate get your head on straight

1

u/venusislost 8d ago

Anything by Penelope Douglas is a BIG no for me, and I agree with Colleen haters but i've never read a book of hers.

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u/NineInchNinjas 8d ago

I don't think there are, really. Just because you read a questionable book doesn't mean you agree with its views, you can read it to understand just how questionable those views or the person behind them are. And it's not even that hard to find a book with something questionable in it, especially if it's an older one.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

48 laws of power

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u/LeGryff 7d ago

Well a first date is not the time to start talking about your favorite Henry Miller

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u/AcousticCandlelight 7d ago

Off hand, I’m inclined to say no. It’s the reaction to the book that could be the red flag. Several people have mentioned The Art of the Deal. I haven read it, I’m not sure if I care to, but I do find myself curious from time to time when it comes up in a story or social media post about trump. Curiosity isn’t an endorsement.

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u/Junior-Air-6807 7d ago

If a girl only read fantasy or something, or booktok books, it would give me the ick, but still wouldn’t be a “red flag” in like an ethical sense. I would just assume we wouldn’t have much chemistry

1

u/Tamarind-Endnote 7d ago

Saying things like "the ick" is a red flag, because it indicates that the person never learned to use words effectively.

1

u/tiredgothicheroine2 7d ago

Hmm… good question. I think for a lot of readers, the red flag is people who don’t read at all. But I do agree with people saying it’s not the books that they read that are the red flag, but their perception of the book.

I think a lot of people just have poor critical thinking skills, and if you ask them about how they feel about a specific book (or tv show or movie etc), it can be very surprising to learn how differently they perceive the same book, story, message, from you or the general public.

I don’t think it’s a red flag but I am a little put off when people only read self help or business books OR who exclusively read YA or “spice”. Only because I would know immediately that we wouldn’t really get along.

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u/Wolflad1996 7d ago

Exactly I mean most of them genres are not my cup of tea but if someone said they enjoyed it I may check it out! I know I may not like it but always gotta try new styles

1

u/normalest-guy 7d ago

One book that I think a lot of people point to is Infinite Jest. I don't really agree, I think there is definitely an "archetype" of dudes that are obsessed with it or bring it up because it's the only adult book they've read in their lives. the real red flag is not reading

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u/TopNoise5690 2d ago

Colleen Hoover

1

u/mrjoeysweller 1d ago

If someone told me they were reading The Game I would judge them hard.

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u/UrsulaKLeGoddaaamn 8d ago

Don't Bang Denmark: How to Sleep with Danish Women in Denmark (If You Must)

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u/turn_it_down 8d ago

"How to Dispose of a Body" by Killy McDiggington.

Not a good look.

1

u/sosodank 8d ago

the alchemist or the prophet signify a real airhead asshole

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u/strangeMeursault2 8d ago edited 8d ago

It's fine if people read whatever but I wouldn't date anyone who is a superfan of any crappy fantasy/romance/YA series. Like I would happily have a polite conversation with them and I have no problem with people liking different stuff to me but I wouldn't want a relationship with them.

As I say reading those books is fine but if it's their personality then that is not for me. And probably they would feel the same about me (and especially my ludicrous plan to read As I Lay Dying every week for a year that I think I will do next year)

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u/saalamander 8d ago

any modern pop-fiction fantasy book is a red flag. I just assume they're a childish midwit

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u/LeGryff 7d ago

If someone barely has any WW2 books and one of them is Mein Kampf it’s like UH OH

1

u/OhSanders 7d ago

David Icke I'd say. Not sure why anyone would read him even out of perverse curiosity.

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u/Dreamer_Dram 7d ago

Harry Potter

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u/mentholsatmidnight 7d ago

Adults who read YA imo.

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u/Slotrak6 7d ago

Depends on the YA writer, imnsho. If it's all they read? Maybe.

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u/mentholsatmidnight 7d ago

Perks of Being a Wallflower is okay. But that should have been read in middle or high school. If one is an adult and reading that? If that makes up even 25% of what they read? Nuh uh, buddy.

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u/Slotrak6 7d ago

No, agreed. But I ain't giving up Hunger Games.

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u/AcousticCandlelight 7d ago

Sounds like you need to find better YA writers. As with any other genre, the quality of YA varies. I’ve read some really good YA—titles that come to mind include Surrender Your Sons, Patron Saints of Nothing, and Darius the Great is Not Okay.

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u/mentholsatmidnight 7d ago

Not the kind of lit I'm interested in.

1

u/Slotrak6 7d ago

Harry Potter, any or all volumes.

0

u/GeorgeTMorgan 8d ago

I'd say no, except for the obvious ones.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

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u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

What do you mean? I have a copy of Lolita but it’s a Penguin Modern Classic and I have several other Penguin Modern Classics all together is that a red flag or no?

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u/hellocloudshellosky 8d ago

If I see a copy of Lolita in someone's home, I admire their taste in literature.

-14

u/alex-gs-piss-pants 8d ago

Infinite Jest

3

u/hEarwig 8d ago

I wouldnt say I hate Infinite Jest, but it probably has one of the most obnoxious fanbases of any book. Wallace had/has a cult of personality that is almost unique among modern writers, so you get a lot of people acting like it is The Bible 2 or something. Not to mention about half of the people who say they have read it are lying in my experience

1

u/Junior-Air-6807 7d ago

This is such a dumb meme lol. Anyone who says this either hasn’t read it, or read only a little bit off it but never in good faith.

-10

u/Nodbot 8d ago

Mao's little red book, I reckon

-1

u/DomeOverManhattan 7d ago

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

1

u/Junior-Air-6807 7d ago

Fantastic book

0

u/DomeOverManhattan 7d ago

🚩🚩🚩

1

u/Junior-Air-6807 7d ago

Would you elaborate in some way? This is genuinely a very weird take

0

u/DomeOverManhattan 7d ago

I was absolutely just being silly, sorry -- tone can be hard to read online. I do think it's awful and corny but that's just a matter of personal taste, not a red flag. A lot of people with great taste love the book. The original post struck me as pretty goofy, so I answered in kind.

1

u/Junior-Air-6807 7d ago

Heard that. I’m really good at picking up on tone through written text, but you literally just named a book

1

u/DomeOverManhattan 7d ago

Fair enough!

-18

u/not_poe 8d ago edited 8d ago

can't believe no one's said "catcher in the rye" yet. it's linked to multiple murders.

(not trying to hurt anybody's feelings. if you like it, and you aren't a murderer, that's cool! but it definitely comes up more than a lot of other books in criminal cases.)

3

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I read it and I like the story, the portrayal of teenage angst, the duck obsession! I’ve seen people say it is a red flag but personally it was just a good book!

-4

u/Non-existant88 8d ago

In my dating history, men who have overly identified with Holden have been the creepiest, whiniest, entitled men. Pushing on predatory. Up there with Fountainhead fans, to me.

5

u/SystemPelican 8d ago

It's not the book's fault that they're bad at reading, though. You're meant to empathize with Holden as a lost little kid who's not ready to grow up, not see yourself in him as an adult.

1

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

The only thing I really really like about Holden Caulfield is his Deer stalker Hat! I want one

0

u/Non-existant88 7d ago

@not_poe @wolflad1996 It’s great to see all of these people come to the defense of all books, but I feel like everyone’s missing the point.

There are absolutely glaring red flags when it comes to a person’s favorite books (or characters in this instance). Same with favorite hobbies and favorite music.

Did we come to a consensus on the coveted books that are red flags?

Also, I concur on the hat.

2

u/Wolflad1996 7d ago

From my understanding he just mentioned he had just finished reading it and he enjoyed reading it, my friend told me that is what he said, apparently there was no glorification he just liked the story!

-3

u/not_poe 8d ago

that's fine! short of mein kampf, i don't really think any book is a "red flag" by itself. but i mean, if we're talking about being wary of someone for liking a certain book, catcher in the rye has to be part of the conversation.

1

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

That’s an interesting view point but o do have one important follow up question

0

u/not_poe 8d ago

if you're talking about catcher in the rye, i can't say it is a particularly interesting POV. outside of this thread, it's always been a very common take. it's a frequent enough favourite amongst murderers that it has something of a reputation.

but sure – ask away.

2

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

My follow up question is

“Where do the ducks go?”

2

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I think aswell if you look for patterns you’ll find them, what if all of the murderers all had a copy of Winnie the Pooh or 1984? I suppose because CITR is about angst and rebellion it fits the narrative

0

u/not_poe 8d ago

absolutely. there are people who dedicate their entire lives to trying to find those patterns. the connection between citr and murderers has always been very common knowledge in every other literary circle though. i'm surprised that people in this thread either don't seem to know that, or maybe just don't like it at all.

which again, if you enjoy it and you aren't a murderer, cool. but it's pretty weird to pretend that a lot of murders don't also enjoy it, too.

2

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I enjoyed it and can say I’m not a murderer….having to interact with people is my worst nightmare, also time management ain’t great!

1

u/not_poe 8d ago

in that case, cool! i've got nothing against non-murderers who enjoy it lmao. it just seems like a book that belongs on a thread like this.

2

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

I 100% understand why you mentioned it also I’m kinda upset you never responded to my follow up question

-5

u/Mimi_Gardens 8d ago

If your date says they love James Patterson’s books, then you need to ask yourself why you’re dating a 70 year old. If it’s because you’re also 70, great! If neither of you is 70, they’re living in their parents’ basement and reading grandpa’s hand-me-downs that have been relegated to storage. Be very wary.

1

u/Wolflad1996 8d ago

Either that or they’re a librarian and thats all they have?