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10 months agoI work hard to maintain work-life balance, because it has a notable impact on my mental health. I am conscious of my dietary balance, because I value my physical health. I don’t do squat to maintain fiction-nonfiction balance, because reading is something I love. I am not in any danger of being locked away for excessive novel-reading as a 21st century woman, so I read whatever happens to speak to my soul at any given time, regardless of what section of the bookstore I found it in. I read more than enough non-fiction related to work or current events to keep me tethered to reality, and non-fiction doesn’t have a monopoly on enriching my mind.
I think it’s less disdain than defensiveness. You never see non-fiction readers asking how to incorporate more fiction in their reading routine, but folks who prefer fiction are often treated as unserious or made to feel guilty for not seeking personal growth or using their time in a useful way. The reality is that there are valuable books on both sides of the shelf; we do everyone a disservice when we pretend that there’s inherently more to gain from self-help books or poorly researched pop history (my personal pet peeve) than there is from actual art. No offense to David Simon–I loved the Wire–but I’m skeptical that it hits harder than, say, Richard Wright or Toni Cade Bambara or Toni Morrison for that matter, reality notwithstanding.