Fiction Beats Nonfiction: The Reason I Prefer It (Most of the time)

Some readers are judged on their personal tastes, but one is not necessarily worse or better than the other

It's Ericajean

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Photo by Thought Catalog

My question is: Why do some bookworms feel bothered if they read a certain genre all the time? Do we feel judged if we read only YA books? Do we feel not “well read” if we have not tried Moby Dick? Does reading smut mean I am only a fluffy sort of reader (or a freak in the bed?)

The possibilities are endless, but there are several ways to look at this.

The journey into nonfiction begins at a familiar starting point

School is a place of diverse reading, from Cat in the Hat to Where the Sidewalk Ends, to real-life stories about Harriet Tubman and the expansion of the West, among other scholarly subjects.

In school, textbooks are our guides during lectures, and we’re often pressured to purchase literature books for story comprehension and exercises. This pattern doesn’t cease in college; we continue to read essays — our own and those of others — textbooks, and research, perpetuating the cycle.

A commenter once said, “I’m out of school. Reading is a hobby. Shouldn’t I read for pleasure now?”

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It's Ericajean

Essayist and poet | Author of Rumors of Ouroboros . Learn more about Erica at https://linktr.ee/itsericajean/