Current Events and Reading Choices

By on July 24, 2011 in Convictions, Week In Review

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m reading Broke, by Glenn Beck.  I also mentioned in that post, that the topic of Broke definitely has something to do with current events as our political leaders are arguing about what to do about our nation’s debt ceiling.

That got me to thinking how current events may dictate my personal reading choices.  I know after the 9/11 Commission Report came out, I picked up a copy and decided to read it.  While it was about as rough as a cardboard box, I definitely wanted to know more about the challenges our government faced with such a catastrophic event.

I’ve taken a look at my reading history, and I’ve found that there are times where I do read books that deal with current events.  Between reading books by Presidents Obama and George W. Bush, I’ve definitely tackled my fair share of books this year that deal with current or recent events.  One I also plan on reading very soon is Reckless Endangerment:  How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon.

I, for one, definitely think it’s good to read books based on current events, mostly to gain a broader perspective of domestic or international events.  A perspective that the media, in my opinion, can’t or won’t seem to do these days.  I find a lot of their reporting to be about paper-thin.

Now, with that being said, most of my reading does deal with fiction and history.  Reading for me is a vehicle to escape the rigors of my daily life.  I don’t want to feel like I’m constantly in the “real world.”  So while, at times, I will read books about current events, I don’t make a constant habit of it.

Now, from a pure fictional standpoint, I do think current events play a role.  Like Harry Potter for example.  There may be more people reading The Deathly Hallows since it’s a very popular movie right now.  When the Twilight movies are out, I see more people reading those.  I also expect that once the movie version of The Hobbit is released, we’ll see more people reading it as well.  So movies definitely will have an impact on what I read, especially if I want to see the movie.  Twilight is the exception as I have mentioned many times previously.

How about you, do you ever take current events into account when picking your reading choices?

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  • http://www.laurelrainsnowcreations.com laurelrainsnow

    I have yet to open one of the nonfiction titles on current events, but in fictional accounts, I do enjoy when the authors pluck themes and issues from what’s happening in the world around us.

    Yes, fictional themes do not give us the information, but sometimes I find comfort or a feeling of validation when the characters in books are “suffering” the same angst.

    Here’s MY SUNDAY SALON POST

  • http://jaynesbooks.wordpress.com jaynesbooks

    It depends on the event and the individual writing the book. I did read a lot of books on 9/11 in the first few years after and I am sure that there will be a lot of 9/11 related material this coming fall, seeing that it is the 10th anniversary of that horrific day. But generally I don’t; I usually read whatever I feel like reading, but I will honestly say that when the last Harry Potter book came out 4 years ago, I was reading the series so that I could familiarize myself with the series before reading the final book and I am re-reading the series again due to the final film coming out about a week ago.

  • http://twitter.com/debnance Debbie Nance (@debnance)

    I am always disappointed when I read books that are offered up from popular culture about political issues. It’s as if the author has already identifies with an ideal and now picks and chooses from the available facts to prove this ideal is the best ideal. I like a little distance in an author, someone willing to stand back a few feet, someone willing to take a little time and look over things carefully before speaking.