Review by cjohns105 -- The Banned Book about Love
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cjohns105
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Review by cjohns105 -- The Banned Book about Love
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes.]
2 out of 4 stars
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The Banned Book about Love by Scott M. Hughes is an unconventional exploration into how unabashedly uncomfortable it is to love. Not to be in love, but simply to love. This booklet delves into a world where hateful actions are used, and misrepresented, as things we do to others to show our love, support, and/or solidarity for their victims. These actions, Hughes argues, are not for the benefit of the victim, but rather for our own psyches. Why should the perpetrator of any crime be prosecuted beyond the scope of the crime they have committed, and why should we draw such a line for some while not doing so for others?
Hughes chooses to expand upon his thoughts through the lens of one Brock Turner, whom we may or may not remember from the rather extensive news coverage in relation to him in the early summer months of 2016. This choice seems appropriate because of how overwhelmingly hated Mr. Turner became in the wake of his sentencing. How could the author tell us he loves this man? “I love Brock Turner”, he claims. But what is this love that he speaks of? That, my friends, you will have to find out for yourself.
I am giving this booklet a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. There are a lot of good thoughts, and thought provoking postulations within these pages. I think that anybody who picks up the booklet and doesn’t make and act upon immediate judgments will absolutely see that. This is a philosophical text at its core, and that certainly isn’t for everybody. The end of the book is almost amusingly paradoxical in that it admits that the readers who have made it to that point in the book are likely the ones who need the book’s message the least.
That being said, one of my notes as I was reading through this text was that there is a lot of thought, without the benefit of much substance. One of the reasons that I am giving this book 2 out of 4 stars, is that it seems poorly written to me. There are a voluminous number of impressive words. Heaps of compound, complex sentences. But the wording proved to be awkward, the thoughts often rambled and sprinkled randomly throughout a section/chapter. I feel hypocritical in this criticism, since these are issues that I often deal with myself. It is because I deal with them however, that I know how much the suggestions of others can help to firm up and form a more cohesive argument. My rating would certainly rise to a three, if not higher, if this text was revised or edited again with these issues in mind.
The Banned Book about Love is a very intelligent text, but it would be a mistake to assume that the only ones who would appreciate it are those who can follow its line of thinking in its current form. I think that there are many people out there who would prove a very appreciative and insightful audience if they could be convinced to try. The author issues a challenge of sorts to the reader in the beginning, to go into it “open minded”. This is the key, I think. I can come up with several friends and colleagues that would enjoy the thoughtful experience that this book provides, but I know that many of them would be hard pressed to get passed the first couple pages, despite the fact that the effort is absolutely worth it, in my opinion.
******
The Banned Book about Love
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2 out of 4 stars
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The Banned Book about Love by Scott M. Hughes is an unconventional exploration into how unabashedly uncomfortable it is to love. Not to be in love, but simply to love. This booklet delves into a world where hateful actions are used, and misrepresented, as things we do to others to show our love, support, and/or solidarity for their victims. These actions, Hughes argues, are not for the benefit of the victim, but rather for our own psyches. Why should the perpetrator of any crime be prosecuted beyond the scope of the crime they have committed, and why should we draw such a line for some while not doing so for others?
Hughes chooses to expand upon his thoughts through the lens of one Brock Turner, whom we may or may not remember from the rather extensive news coverage in relation to him in the early summer months of 2016. This choice seems appropriate because of how overwhelmingly hated Mr. Turner became in the wake of his sentencing. How could the author tell us he loves this man? “I love Brock Turner”, he claims. But what is this love that he speaks of? That, my friends, you will have to find out for yourself.
I am giving this booklet a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. There are a lot of good thoughts, and thought provoking postulations within these pages. I think that anybody who picks up the booklet and doesn’t make and act upon immediate judgments will absolutely see that. This is a philosophical text at its core, and that certainly isn’t for everybody. The end of the book is almost amusingly paradoxical in that it admits that the readers who have made it to that point in the book are likely the ones who need the book’s message the least.
That being said, one of my notes as I was reading through this text was that there is a lot of thought, without the benefit of much substance. One of the reasons that I am giving this book 2 out of 4 stars, is that it seems poorly written to me. There are a voluminous number of impressive words. Heaps of compound, complex sentences. But the wording proved to be awkward, the thoughts often rambled and sprinkled randomly throughout a section/chapter. I feel hypocritical in this criticism, since these are issues that I often deal with myself. It is because I deal with them however, that I know how much the suggestions of others can help to firm up and form a more cohesive argument. My rating would certainly rise to a three, if not higher, if this text was revised or edited again with these issues in mind.
The Banned Book about Love is a very intelligent text, but it would be a mistake to assume that the only ones who would appreciate it are those who can follow its line of thinking in its current form. I think that there are many people out there who would prove a very appreciative and insightful audience if they could be convinced to try. The author issues a challenge of sorts to the reader in the beginning, to go into it “open minded”. This is the key, I think. I can come up with several friends and colleagues that would enjoy the thoughtful experience that this book provides, but I know that many of them would be hard pressed to get passed the first couple pages, despite the fact that the effort is absolutely worth it, in my opinion.
******
The Banned Book about Love
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like cjohns105's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "The bible's last message to a dying world" by Khurshid ali
