Jill at Random Ramblings fun meme "Top Ten Picks" topic of the week is "Worst Books You've Ever Read.". Now my top ten may not signify poor writing- but for sure will signify destructive books that I read during college and at a time when I was researching world religions.
1. Margaret Sanger’s ---The Pivot of Civilization----
-Who is Margaret Sanger? She would be the founder of Planned Parenthood, who published a book (which has been out of print for years and rumored to be frowned upon by PP) sharing all her thoughts on race and birth control methods. I read this book along with 2 on my list for research during school which unbelievably was for a paper on the Spartans.
Opening Lines of TPOC-
This book aims to be neither the first word on the tangled problems of human society to-day, nor the last. My aim has been to emphasize, by the use of concrete and challenging examples and neglected facts, the need of a new approach to individual and social problems. Its central challenge is that civilization, in any true sense of the word, is based upon the control and guidance of the great natural instinct of Sex.
Sanger was one sick cookie, her introduction fails to state the downright disturbing ideas this book encapsulates and how racist this woman really was.
The most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over fertility of the mentally and physically defective. Possibly drastic and Spartan methods may be forced upon American society if it continues complacently to encourage the chance and chaotic breeding that has resulted from our stupid sentimentalism. PG.25
Every feeble-minded girl or woman of the hereditary type, especially of the moron class, should be segregated during the reproductive period. Otherwise she is almost certain to bear imbecile children, who in turn are just as certain to breed other defectives. We prefer the policy of immediate sterilization, of making sure that parenthood is absolutely prohibited to the feeble-minded. PG.101
Who are the "We"? Whoever the "we" are suppose to be they went on to represent goals to keep certain human beings from having children. Sanger believed in sterilization and using abortion as birth control or in her words race and imbecile control. Don't believe me, you can find tons of information about the foundation of Planned Parenthood and Sanger online.
2. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
By far the most destructive book ever written regarding peoples individual freedoms. Basically this book legitimizes that you have a right to things that you haven’t earned. It’s the philosophy of being punished for success, to take away what you have worked for and redistribute it to someone else. While at the same time, the fat-cats who dictate the philosophy sit in their million dollar houses, eating all the food, using all the resources and not giving a crap about the people who starve. Its called class warfare, something Im adamantly against.
3.Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
The book that forever knocked Adolf off the list of most popular baby boy names.
I will be honest- I read this as part of a research paper on WWII as a group project and could not finish it.
4. The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
The author who ranks races by their levels of evolution and states that Jews and Black people are more ape than human. ....and then goes on to become the cornerstone of everything that your child will be taught about biology and genetics. AWESOME!
5. Dianetics by Ron L. Hubbard
WOW- did you know this guy was a science fiction author before he wrote Dianetics? One day Ron sat down with his buddies and bet them all a case of beer that he could create his own religion.....
Flash forward a few months you have Scientology with free beer and Tom Cruise.
Flash forward a few months you have Scientology with free beer and Tom Cruise.
6. He Came to Set the Captives Free by Rebecca Brown
Not only does this woman claim vampires and werewolves are real but she can teach you how to rebuke them..with stick figure illustrations to boot....One way ticket on the Crazy Train please....
7. A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren
I am a Christian says Brian- I believe in Jesus says Brian- I also believe that there was no apple, no serpant, no garden, no virgin birth, no cross, no resurrection, no Hell and I think God really didn't say what the Bible really says He said...
Ok then Brian what the *bleep* do you believe in then?
8. Your Best life Now by Joel Osteen
Just look at the cover...seriously I can't believe I read this.....it was one of those desperate at the dentist have nothing to read moments....
My Two Fiction Selections...in no way close to the same as a Hitler or Sanger book make my list for their absurdity.
9. The Davinci Code by Dan Brown
Jesus in the mountains with Mary, secretly gets married and pops out some kids. Flash forward to present day: we got albino bad guys whipping themselves, looking for the holy grail and protecting Christ's last of kin ....and then people actually discussing if this could be real......if this could be they mystery of the Bible, come on people....Really??
10. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
I can’t even begin to tell you what this book was about, between the 5000 tragedies and the 1000 plot lines, things got to be a huge tangled web of whining, blaming and living through every real life tragedy since The Oklahoma City Bombing. How do you mix the events of Columbine, 9/11 and Katrina into one story? Hmmm lets see, blame President Bush for it all, he created the storm that destroyed New Orleans and made those kids go nuts and shoot up their school. Bush was so evil, he diabolically made these fictional characters cheat on each other, go to jail and have a crappy life. Lamb slammed Bush probably a gazillion times for things even outside of his presidency, it was just annoying and really pathetic.
I was tired, annoyed and emotionally drained after reading this.
So, what do you think? Any of you read these? Agree? Disagree?
Great picks here. I haven't read any of these books, and I plan not to.
ReplyDeleteI can see how such a list can be very telling about its compiler. Interesting idea. I might have to try this (I'm not sure if I could come up with 10, though... we'll see).
ReplyDeleteLove the list darling! Excellent points.
ReplyDeleteUgh I wouldn't read any of those except for Da Vinci Code! Some of those sound really bad : )
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these books and some of them I haven't even heard of them! I don't think I will either!
ReplyDeleteI've read 2 of these and didn't hate them but if I looked at them the way you did, I probably would have too. I love your reviews though. They always make me giggle and you made some really great points.
ReplyDeleteYesenia, Silly Little Game Called Life
LOL about that Christianity book. I think I have/had it on my PBS wish list. Or I might own it. Not sure, lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree about The Hour I First Believed. I was so disappointed!
Haven't read any of them although I did read a Ron Hubbard book. Can't think of the name but I think it was turned into a movie with John Travolta. And I read a book by Wally Lamb I think it was Come Undone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about some of them, especially the first and second books.
ReplyDeleteOut of all these, I've only read The DaVinci Code. I absolutely LOVED Angels and Demons, and was quite disappointed with the sequel. I doubt I will read any more of Dan Brown's books. And I, too, find it laughable that so many people think the book is fact...hello, it's labeled as "fiction"! lol
I haven't read any of them, but none of them sound too good!!!
ReplyDeleteHaha..Great pick. I never thought there's actually someone who hates dan brown the davinci code. i personally like it..but it's good to know not every book we find so great is worst to others ;p
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you with this us this week @ Top Ten Picks, Tina! :)
ReplyDeleteI hated The Secret because it was kind of like #8 to me! Haha. Oh and I definitely agree with Mein Kampf. Though it wasn't the worst, when it comes to literary merit, just the fact that it is written by Hitler is enough for him to belong here.
And if you saw my list, I also have one of L. Ron Hubbard's books there. Hmm.. that says a lot, don't you think? ;)
Oh and by the way, I am in love with your header & overall blog layout! It's sooo pretty and neat!
ReplyDeleteI would agree with your picks. Da Vinci Code was boring to me, The Hour I first Believed I've heard the same thing about from many and Joel OSteen scares the crap out of me. bleh!
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
I havent read all of them, good huh? :)
ReplyDeleteBut if I had to choose in your list the book that I seriousley don't want to read is; Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler!!! NEVER!
Interesting list! I'm curious about which books I'd put on the list...there aren't too many I can think of that I absolutely hated (and finished, so that I can talk about them honestly). And I wonder...would this list be very different five years from now? Or five years in your past?
ReplyDeleteohhhh Celia..you ask the tough questions..:) 5 yrs ago Id say all the Christian books would have been off including Ron Hubbards, as you can tell I was doing some major searching....5 yrs from now...Id say the same list...maybe some new fiction choices.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great list! I agree with every one of these! I did know about L. Ron Hubbard, and giggle about it, often. :P I also tried to read The Communist Manifesto, but couldn't get through it! Same thing with The Hour I First Believed! Had to set it down! Good grief. Soooo...your list is awesome, and I totally agree. You are completely right about in regards to how much strongly you feel about books you don't like! :P
ReplyDeleteI believe this list was compiled more from the point of view of your own personal ideologies than any objective criteria. It appears that you have allowed your Christian philosophies interfere with what could have been a very enlightening post.
ReplyDeleteAngela- At the top you will notice in my blurb that most of the books I read on this list was during a time when I was searching world religions.....Christianity really had nothing to do with 6 of the 10 books listed. Religion of course played a huge role overall as that was the subject matter. Im against class warfare, forced sterilization, racism, misleading preachers, heretics, fake religions, scare tactics, political bashing, Nazi's and crappy writing. If those boil down to Christian philosophies making me less enlightened than yourself, well then Ill take it.
DeleteHow can you have "objective criteria" when discussing matters of personal preference and opinion? I personally did not get a sense that the author had "Christian philosophies" when I was reading this list, and I'm an atheist. Perhaps you're just being overly sensitive and looking for something to react to.
Delete