Score

If you don’t like spoilers, don’t read ahead. Just an FYI and a courtesy.

These lists are fun and thought provoking, so I’m just adding my take on why I added a few things to the list. I know I can do that when I vote on it, but I’m doing it down here for possible discussion. Talking about books is fun.

I agreed with The Picture of Dorian Grayfor obvious reasons. The whole premise of this book is basically anti-pride. We have a young, beautiful man, Dorian Gray whose pride and ego are central to the whole theme of the book. I feel like not a lot needs to be said here.

Degradation. This is a “dark romance” and while it’s also on the Lust list (for obvious reasons) I felt it belonged on the Pride list as well. Tate, the main female, certainly suffers from pride. She seems to pride herself in her “man eater” ways and never bends to Kane no matter how far he pushes her because “she can take it.” The whole time I read this book, all I could think was how if both characters wouldn’t take themselves so seriously and just admit that things hurt them and that they CARE about others, then maybe it wouldn’t have ended in the tragedy that it did? FYI, I don’t recommend this book to anyone. I’m generally fine with dark romance. But this one, no…. just wasn’t any good.

Fear: Trump in the White House. Ok, so I know this is the nonfiction book and I feel it’s appropriate. HEAR ME OUT! Regardless if you like or dislike Donald Trump, you must admit the man is a prideful narcissist. And this book deals with a lot of instances where his pride interferes with his ability to stick to his word or even LEARN about things that are happening around him. For example: Trump is constantly confronted by Gary Cohn regarding a “service economy” compared to an” industrial economy.” Currently, the U.S. has a service economy. Even though Cohn explains this in detail with many examples that the difference should absolutely be hammered home, Trump refuses to admit he’s wrong about his views on the U.S. economy. When finally, exasperated with Trump’s refusal to accept that factory work is not how the U.S. economy is run, Cohn finally demands to know WHY Trump refuses to back down on his opinion. Trump just responds, “That’s how I feel.” If you can ignore the vast majority of economists, men you have hired to aid you with your job, experts in the field, all because you think your feelings are stronger? I would say that’s pride. That’s ego. That’s “I know better END OF DISCUSSION.” And Trump’s ego in this book, his pride and unwillingness to learn or bend, is a huge factor in how he runs his Presidency. Now, I’m sure some people think him acting on his gut is a good thing, some people think that Trump’s policies have helped us even if they go against the advice of his advisors and other major economists, and I’m sure some people would even gladly vote for him again. I just hope that these people can also admit the man is prideful and a lot of his reactions to things involve protecting his own ego. I think this book absolutely encompasses his Pride. So, I really do feel it’s appropriate for the list, even if you don’t like the book or agree with it, the book itself deals with the Pride and Ego of Donald Trump through the eyes of the people interviewed for the book.

The Fountainhead. I touched on the pride portion a smidge when I wrote about this book for the greed list. But I think the Pride is a little more important here. Howard Roark is a prideful man. I know the book doesn’t seem to write him as anything but a misunderstood genius that must take on main stream society, but I always read it as he was too proud to accept that people like different things and sometimes the things you design aren’t for everyone. I mean seriously, I know this book is more a commentary on mainstream society than it is about actual architecture, but all I could think about was how if people aren’t buying your art, maybe it’s not them but you? Also, the martyrdom of the main female (totally forgot her name) and how she marries Peter as a “sacrifice” to the greater good somehow…. I just felt like this was a moment of “I know what is and isn’t good, and if society doesn’t agree with me then I can’t be happy in my life.” I don’t know, I just felt that the main protagonists in this book were more stubborn and full of their love for Roark than anything else. I also think that the main antagonist, other than society in general, Ellsworth Toohey is also a prideful character. Toohey (Sp?) certainly thinks he has the final say on what is good and bad. He pushes a socialist type agenda and when someone doesn’t fall in line he uses his influence to try to ruin that man’s (this case Roark’s) career. Toohey pretends he doesn’t care for power, but he does.

That’s just my take on the few books I added.

Gone with the Wind. I just finished this book, and my biggest take away was that too much pride hurts people. Southern pride that refuses to bend to Reconstruction. Men's and Women's pride that refuse to accept change. Southerner's who are starving and struggling refusing money from the Union after the army burned their homes. Money to rebuild, that they are owed for destruction. But it's "yankee" money and they are too proud to take it, so they starve. Pride in rags vs allowing women to work. Rhett refusing to tell Scarlett he loves her because he doesn't want her to have the power in the relationship. Scarlett is also the epitome of vanity and her pride in her looks she uses and leverages time and time again. Rhett constantly mocks the "gentleman" and their pride and how the way of life they have created makes so many miserable. Anyway, that's just my take on this one.