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Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 12:35 am: | 
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Bad reviews serve no good purpose. If a reviewer is not 'feeling' a book or movie, especially a Black production, I am of the opinion that they should decline to review it if they see no good in it.
If a reviewer wants to convey the basic message that a book or movie is trash, well that could be done in the first paragraph. It is not constructive to rip, rip, and rip right through a piece unless you (reviewer) have a political problem with the author and you are trying to damage him/her with your review.
For those of you who are in the industry, you might be able to see through the 'smoke and mirrors' but for most of the market, people like me, a bad review by a Black person of a book having to do with a Black issue, authored by a Black person is not motivating.
Each and every bad review by us on us hurts all of us; the writer because they won’t be read as much, the reader because they may be inclined not to purchase the book, and the reviewer because you will not get the advanced reads like you would want. And of course, if the author gets hot of course the reviewer (and cronies) is (are) left in the cold.
If you really don’t like a book, before you write the bad review, contact the author share your concerns, than try a reread ‘with that authors eyes’, perhaps this will give additional depth to the review, and enable review readers to not only know that you read the book, and read it with your understanding, but also with the author’s understanding as well.
We as Black people must be progressive. Please note that many of your reviews are easily gotten via Google, so please keep your in-house riffs in-house (aka this board), not in plain view of the world. Put our people, Black people, first.
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AnonymousX
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 08:07 am: |
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>> Please note that many of your reviews are easily gotten via Google, so please keep your in-house riffs in-house (aka this board), not in plain view of the world. Put our people, Black people, first. <<
Didn't you know that this board can be found by by searching Google? If not, put in a few keywords, like Thumper's Corner, in the appropriate field, and click on search. Besides anyone in the world can access this board.
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ncgirl
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 03:56 pm: |
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I disagree. Most of the readers I know are not sheep. They make their own opinions after they've read a book they're interested in-regardless of a negative review.
Also, how can we improve without constuctive criticism? |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 08:08 pm: |
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If you are searching the book, not searching the site. When you search the book or the author you might be drawn to the site.
If you come to the board one could easily see that the board is extremely subjective, opinionated and full of dodo at times. The reviews however are given and taken more seriously. Whould you agree?
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Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 08:15 pm: |
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ncgirl, I'm no sheep, but then again sheep can't read.
People are at different levels of development in their reading experience. Reviews have specific purpose, for whatever reason you believe it exist, to that extent we must exercise 'care' when writing about out people.
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Thumper
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 10:02 pm: |
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Hello All,
Anonymous: I, naturally, disagree. Although books written by black authors have been published for over 100 years, we, as a book buying audience being an acknowledge entity is still in its infancy. I dare say, that today, there are more books being published by black authors than ever before in the history of American publishing. It is more important than ever that our literature is taken to task. How can it show any real growth without criticism? For anything to grow, it needs the sun and the rain. Both in their own way feed and nourish the plant, as does literary criticsm. When done objectively, criticism is a little of both. How can anything grow if its not looked at in a truthful light? Giving a thumbs up to all books being published because its been written by a black author is like giving a plant nothing but sun, the plant will die. The result will be the same if the plant is constantly watered, it too will die. Our books will suffer the same fate.
Now, as I tell everyone, a review is just one person's opinion. My review is no more important that the people who buy the books. I know of no review that I have ever read that have stopped me from buying a book, or seeing a movie, or going to a certain restaurant. I know that my review of a bad book has stop no one from buying it, nor should it. There are times when people like to hear what someone else thinks about a book, and that's where reviews should come in.
As far as seeing it from the "author's eye", the book is seeing the story through the author's eye. The author had plenty of time to get me to see it from his point of view. If he wasn't able to convey it, that's on him. A published book should represent the author's best effort. He's putting forth his best writing. Holding the book in my hand is not the time for the author to get schooled. It's a done deal then. I make no apologies.
I know for a fact that there are authors who don't want me to review their books. Sho hate it. To let you in on a little secret, in most cases, I don't want to read another book by that author. There are too many books to read. As far as getting advance copies, that's probably true, but that speaks more of the author's insecurity. It's certainly no reason for a reviewer or a reader to remain quiet. A reviewer has a duty to be completely honest in his opinion. He owes his reader that much.
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Rondall
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2003 - 07:06 am: |
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Dear Anonymous (if that is really your name??!!),
Oooo whee! Now there you go, wanting a reprieve for someone whose work is substandard. What in the world are you talking about? You mean to tell me that someone reviewing a book should give special consideration to that book because a fellow Black person writes it?
There are no smoke and mirrors! A pile of dookie in a mirror, in a room full of smoke, is still a pile of dookie. Someone has tapped me on my shoulder to write a review on that pile of dookie. And you want me to call the perpetrator to ask what was the point they were trying to get across by the work of art. No thank you, because anyone else reading that tripe will not have such an elitist opportunity.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but I really WANT to enjoy everything I read. I love Black literary artwork if it is good work, not because someone who is also Black did write it. As long as people like yourself who prefer to suppress the subjective opinions of reviewers that happen to find an author's writing to be rubbish, we will never be truly progressive.
It is my intention to write my honest opinion on the books that I read. The conjecture I draw from reading a book is influenced by a lot of things. An author has a higher probability of me liking their work if they are Black simply because of our similar demographics. But that probability does change bad writing to good writing. Reviewers don't hurt writers with bad reviews; it is bad writers, who try to pass their work off as good that hurt themselves.
By the way, I don't care about getting advanced copies of books. I shall continue to purchase my own and they will probably be good books by good writers. And I certainly do not care if the book gets "hot". It is not going to change my stance on the book. Allow me give you an analogy. Have you ever seen the John Travolta movie "Battlefield Earth"? Well so did I, along with several million other pissed off people. Does that make it a good movie? You get the point...
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Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2003 - 10:59 am: |
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In the past I have contended that a book should be judged on its merit rather than on the sincere intent of its author, and I was chided for having a negative attitude. Writing is not for the faint of heart. If an author can't take the heat, he/she should get out of the kitchen. |
Soul Sister
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2003 - 03:02 pm: |
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Hey all,
I gotta chime in -- Cynique, you know I love ya -- stay strong and critical that is what this messy situation is missing now from the white house to the out house -but that is another thread
As for the "bad" reviews -- there needs to be criticism - why is everything Black suppose to be "good" in white eyes -- they aren't even paying us any attention - never have and never will unless it generates mad loot -- pardon the vernacular.
I agree that we should not just sound off to hear ourselves sound i-telligent - however, critical thought and holding artists, educators, politicians, pundits, and et al accountable is important for those we have never met - the future. A dialogue aint gotta be - -hateration but edification and bilateral understanding - ya dig
Peace
ps - I try not to read trash nor tripe - so I avoid the ugliness all together-- maybe a hypocrit maybe someone trying to remain chaste in a brothel -- |
Still Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2003 - 11:10 pm: |
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Rondall: "Allow me give you an analogy. Have you ever seen the John Travolta movie "Battlefield Earth"? Well so did I, along with several million other pissed off people. Does that make it a good movie? You get the point..."
No, I didn't see the movie.
As far as a relevent anology, when Black film makers in the late 70's and early to mid 80's were trying to break into the market,many criticts pointed to the lighting, the sound, the props, the acting and/or the story line, as reasons why the film was bad. They knew the pockets of the film makers, they knew the experience of the film makers, and perhaps they also knew or should have known the limited 'connection' resources of the movie execs, yet because they felt "negros, wanna break into the big leagues, w[h]ell they just hafta take the licks".
I'm saying, had it not been for the encouragement and support of our people about our product(s), our product(s) and our people will suffer. I'm glad many people (me not one of them) went to see House Party (I still think all of them are trash) but the producers and the executives have done many things, inside and outside of the film production business, to help empower our people.
As for giving someone a free ride, it happens at times, if you ever did any type of minor infraction (speeding, improper parking, broken tail light) got pulled over for, but was immediately forgiven by the officer you see what I mean.
But my driving [haha] point is to request that you focus on CONSTUCTIVE critism. Additionally, to have the reader pay more attention to the positive aspects of the book or movie rather than on the bad parts.
If you feel you are whipping the authors in to shape, as I see it, the whipping is abusive and the goals you seek to accomplish could be reached without the whip. It's about relative-prospective.
I'm not an industry pro, therefore I'm giving it to you as an outsider looking in. You take it as you wish. Like politician, after one secures power they rarely listen to the 'regular folks' until its time for another appeal.
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ME
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 08, 2003 - 09:04 am: |
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Your movie analogy doesn't quite hold water. I've been a supporter of black independent filmmakers for years. Money or deep pockets does not mean quality. I have seen many films over the years made on a shoestring which had more depth & sincerity of feeling than any big budget studio effort. Furthermore many of these works were and are critically recognized.
If a writer/fimmaker/artist/musician puts something out there he/she is hoping to get some reaction/response. |
Anonymous-A
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 08, 2003 - 11:03 am: |
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ME:
Your rebuttal doesn't exactly disprove what "Anonymous" said. Actually, what you cited were examples of the exception, not the rule. |
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