Booksthatmakeyoudumb

Booksthatmakeyoudumb is an interesting study of the correlation between SAT scores and favorite books listed on facebook. Virgil Griffith created it and posted it online. Interestingly enough, the books I most enjoy fell near the higher end of SAT scores, and books I really despise fell toward the lower end. The data is quite intriguing to peruse, but I do have some problems with it. First, the data is collected through the favorite books at a specific institution where the mean SAT score is reported, so my relative 'smartness' is filtered through Shippensburg's SAT scores which are actually a heck of a lot lower than my personal scores. Second, the books you list as your favorite books may just be what feel like you have to write down for social and/or other reasons. For example, indicating you like a certain classic could make you appear more well-read simply because it is popular, but you really think it is crap. Also, I love how listing "The Holy Bible" is akin to being dumber than the people who list "I don't Read."

Anyways, just go visitBooksthatmakeyoudumb an decide for yourself.

On a related note, I just read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez this past Christmas vacation. It is full of poetic writing, style, and a fast paced, uniquely thought-out action. I had meant to read it for the longest time, because I heard it was so good, and I was not disappointed. I loved it, although I have not added it to my favorites in my facebook profile yet. Now I'm glad to know I enjoy books that do not make me dumb, but rather smart, very very smart. One Hundred Years of Solitude was the second 'smartest' book in the booksthatmakeyou dumb study. Yay me.

PS. I don't honestly believe that reading books of any type or caliber can make you dumb. In fact, if you feel dumber after reading a book, it means that you got smarter because you learned more about yourself, about writing in general, and about how to craft a story better than that moron's that you just read.