There are certain types of books that are like fair trade coffee or cuisine made from local foods grown through sustainable farming techniques. When you read this type of book, you cannot help but feel good about yourself for doing so, and at the same time, your attention is inevitably called to issues of ethical and moral importance in our society. For example, when reading a book like Sara Zarr’s Story of A Girl or Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, you cannot “help” but be drawn into reflection about teen sex, gender inequality, or this country’s history of racism and segregation. And this is a good thing. It is absolutely vital that we have books like this –books that make us question the status quo and the way we look at things.
Still other books are like wheatgrass juice. You read these books because you think you’re supposed to read them, or you want to be able to tell others you’ve read them. Like Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. (Sorry Faulknerites). These are books that people read because they want to say they’ve read them. Because, let’s be honest, it’s always nice to be able to throw a Faulkner reference in when having a highbrow conversation about the merits of some current book or film, no? I’m not downing wheatgrass books, though—they have their place.
Finally, some books are like Twinkies. We know they have no nutritional value, and that we probably won’t even feel full afterwards, but they’re sweet, they’re naughty, and they feel good going down. (If a Twinkie’s not working for you here, insert another sugar-laden, fat-filled food to complete the mental image). A Twinkie book can be likened to whatever cheesy rom-com is playing at the theater this week. It’ll be funny, it’ll be short, it’ll be predictable and fluffy.
Which brings me to my point: Sometimes, that’s what we want.
And I think this is valid. Sometimes I want to think about gender inequity, racism, capitalism, and our rampant consumerism in America. And sometimes…I don’t. Sometimes, I just want to be entertained.
People often look down on Twinkie books as not deserving of much literary consideration, but they’re important –they have their place. Indeed, all the many different types of books have their place –the wheatgrass books, the Twinkie books, the fair trade coffee books (insert many other food names here). We need them all.
Just some “food for thought” on this Saturday afternoon. I’ll leave you with a quote I heard last year and haven’t been able to forget:
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with a mindlessly fun read. It is not any less than a significant piece of literary fiction. They’re both important and they’re equally important. They both have value.” Barry Goldblatt, Mary Calleto Rife Youth Literature Seminar, 2011.
Excellent food for thought. No two people are the same, and no one person is the same or wants to read the same sort of book all the time.
Right?! I totally agree.
Yes, we could say the same for movies, food we eat, music we listen to. Very well said!
So, would you suggest I consider the “Fifty Shades…” Books? I don’t know if mommy porn would fall under Twinkie books.
Mommy porn must fall in the Twinkie category!
I think Twinkies are a subclass of the genus porn.
Brilliant post! Yes, sometimes I just want to escape with a fun read. Nothing wrong with that! Or Twinkies!
Amen!
I agree- and Twinkies offer the perfect analogy. Sometimes you just need, and enjoy, some of what we call in our house “fun for you food”. And, I might add, these treats are often enjoyed the most when you indulge sparingly.
I know, I know. I make myself read some wheatgrass books each year, and I always have a healthy serving of fair trade coffee books.
I love your analogies
. When I want a quick fun read that I can get lost in I either turn to romance or YA. There’s nothing ‘new’ happening in these stories, girls struggling with coming of age issues, men and women falling in love, etc. but sometimes knowing that I can count on those kinds of stories ending happily and giving me the warm fuzzies is just what I need! Besides, there are a lot of times when I’ll read one of those said ‘lowbrow’ books and I’ll be blown away by the writing. So I guess those books written well would fall into the category of a “high-brow Twinkie”? Lol 
I know! I found myself being blown away by Lauren Oliver’s writing recently. It’s just YA dystopian -girl meets boy stuff –but her writing is flipping awesome. She’s amazingly talented.
What an excellent blog! As a long-time fan of a book actually named “The Twinkie Squad,” (one of Gordon Korman’s early-ish ones that is very aptly named) I love a good fluffy book.
Hoorah for fluff!
What’s your favorite Twinkie book, Erin?
Hmmmm… Mmmmm…. Is it an insult if I classify a writer’s work as junk food? I hope she never sees this, but perhaps Charlaine Harris’s novels? They’re just so flipping good, but it’s 100% guilty pleasure. *blushes*
Excellent point. Like mindless TV, sometimes you need something that doesn’t prompt you to think deeply!
I generally have a few books on the burner at a time, and try to have at least one “wheatgrass” or “fair-trade” book going, but also, at least one twinkie. ^_^
Stephen King (in his book ON WRITING) says that the *primary* purpose of a novel is to entertain. That doesn’t mean it can’t have a strong message, or try to change the world. But if it’s all message, then it becomes an academic paper, or a sermon, and not a novel. So, I suppose he would argue for sustainable wheatgrass juice wrapped in a Twinkie…?!
I heart that book. It is so awesome in so many ways. Now I have an image of a wheatgrass filled Twinkie though. Ick.
Life would be so boring without the twinkies, and if not for twinkies lots of people wouldn’t even read. They would just watch reality shows. Not good.
I know–right?!
Many foods. Many thoughts. Many different times of day.
Loved this post. I’ve read “The Help” and enjoyed, and was moved by it, for all the reasons you state Rom -Coms. Don’t tell anyone but I can get quite soggy eyed when I watch a film in that genre. It, always makes me feel nice and does’nt affect my waistline
Dammit, Likeitiz beat me to the Fifty Shades reference! Well how about Twilight, anybody mention that “Twinkie” yet?
Le sigh. Twilight is a total Twinkie series.
I just tweeted a link to this spot. It’s marvelous. And soooo true. However, I prefer to think of my books more like chocolate chip cookies, a step above the twinkie. At least they’re homemade, and boy do they taste warm and gooey just out of the oven. :+)
Mmmm… Chocolate chip cookies. Funny thing is, I don’t even like Twinkies –they’re just kind of the epitome of junk food.
You used them as a great metaphor@