It’s Okay to Take a Book Seriously

You know something? I don’t think it’s wrong for an author to have a political standpoint or ideology that they seek to advance with their books. Nor do I think it’s wrong to take a book’s ideas at face value. When I read Tolstoy, I don’t think, “Oh, I’m not supposed to take this Christianity stuff seriously–it’s only here because the characters are Christian.” That flies against logic and common sense. Usually if an author has some wisdom to impart, they’re pretty happy to tell you about it! Most authors have some thoughts about how people ought to live, and one major reason for reading fiction is to glean those thoughts!