it doesn’t have to be your favorite book or anything. It can be any book that you find yourself thinking of with a sense of pride for having read it.
Personally, I am really proud of myself for not DNFing A Little Life and pushing forward. I read a very good chunk of that book with tears running down my face–mind you, I was reading it on my phone during lectures for the entirety of my first semester last year–and I was always on the verge of putting it down just because of the horrible content. Also, it was pretty long; too long, actually. So when I was done, I was simultaneously Heartbroken, broken (just like in general), and relieved. It was truly a feat.
An honorable mention is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, because I swear to God I did not understand a single thing about it even 10 chapters in. Charles Dickens is too much.
I feel like people should be able to appreciate an idea explored in literature whether they agree, disagree, or partially agree with it. That’s like a major part of what you get out of reading.
Rand definitely isn’t a top tier fiction writer, but the basic plot of Atlas Shrugged was a unique concept; which alone made it worth a read to me.
Also, in regards to the awful manifesto that never ends - it’s 100% better to skim over a rough spot instead of DNFing something you’d otherwise finish.