Just that they should be classified under non-fiction if that's what the author says they are.
I found myself wondering about this when I read the Carlos Castaneda books. While I think that he did document some valid conversations with practitioners of shamanism and ideas regarding shamanism, there are serious reservations that many people have regarding the authenticity of his experiences even when the drug-induced states and "visions" are removed. At the same time, his books say "Non-Fiction" in the classification at the front.
It's a difficult question because non-fiction books don't necessarily have to be correct. You could make up a load of shit and get it published anyway under the moniker of "non-fiction." I'm sure people have done it in areas such as science and history, I just can't think of any.
The problem is that there's no fact checking authority controlling the publication of such books. It's up to others in the field to denounce fake pieces of crap when they come along - and I'm sure this happens with good historical and scientific literature. With the occult though, there's no such larger community dedicated to the truth.
This is one of the reasons why I'm leery of political non-fiction, actually. There's no guarantee the book's not just partisan biased nonsense running rampant without any sort of checks at all. Frustrating.
' />
7. Do you consider books about the occult to be non-fiction or fiction? Why?
Interesting question. I'm gonna have to go with non-fiction. Because fiction generally sets out to tell a story, and books about the occult don't do that. Besides, if The Secret gets to be non-fiction, then so does Tarot Cards for Dummies.
I found myself wondering about this when I read the Carlos Castaneda books. While I think that he did document some valid conversations with practitioners of shamanism and ideas regarding shamanism, there are serious reservations that many people have regarding the authenticity of his experiences even when the drug-induced states and "visions" are removed. At the same time, his books say "Non-Fiction" in the classification at the front.
It's a difficult question because non-fiction books don't necessarily have to be correct. You could make up a load of shit and get it published anyway under the moniker of "non-fiction." I'm sure people have done it in areas such as science and history, I just can't think of any.
The problem is that there's no fact checking authority controlling the publication of such books. It's up to others in the field to denounce fake pieces of crap when they come along - and I'm sure this happens with good historical and scientific literature. With the occult though, there's no such larger community dedicated to the truth. This is one of the reasons why I'm leery of political non-fiction, actually. There's no guarantee the book's not just partisan biased nonsense running rampant without any sort of checks at all. Frustrating.
' />
Insert theme music here.
Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 05:38:04 PM
1096 Views
Heh.
- 14/09/2009 05:58:59 PM
787 Views
You associate non-fiction with work? Are you a non-fiction book reviewer by day?
- 14/09/2009 06:35:59 PM
609 Views
I like non-fiction as long as it's not preachy.
- 14/09/2009 06:25:42 PM
797 Views
So...Bill O'Reilly's out but Aleister Crowley is in, right? 
- 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM
696 Views
- 14/09/2009 06:34:38 PM
696 Views
I didn't say I wanted to read occult books.
- 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM
1234 Views
- 14/09/2009 09:40:40 PM
1234 Views
Fun.
- 14/09/2009 06:31:28 PM
883 Views
Machiavelli is a good case study for translation vs. original language
- 14/09/2009 06:48:46 PM
640 Views
Fact not fiction.
- 14/09/2009 06:43:32 PM
826 Views
I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio
- 14/09/2009 06:58:46 PM
700 Views
Re: I loved Radzinsky's Rasputin bio
- 14/09/2009 07:10:01 PM
726 Views
You're going to force me to start a Dan Brown discussion in a different thread.
- 14/09/2009 09:00:32 PM
638 Views
Well, I can do it here, no worries, just think of it as non-non-fiction.
- 14/09/2009 09:06:34 PM
694 Views
Re: Fact not fiction.
- 17/09/2009 12:40:31 AM
744 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 07:25:20 PM
624 Views
I do read sometimes.
- 14/09/2009 08:01:03 PM
825 Views
I read it quite a lot, obviously.
- 14/09/2009 09:20:40 PM
721 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 09:24:35 PM
831 Views
I'd be interested to know the title of that Lincoln book. *NM*
- 15/09/2009 05:11:14 AM
316 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 14/09/2009 10:05:56 PM
630 Views
I'm sorry. I just can't take "pro wrestling" seriously enough to comment on it beyond this. *NM*
- 15/09/2009 05:15:13 AM
305 Views
Sweet
- 14/09/2009 10:09:21 PM
791 Views
My problem with Fisk is his naivete
- 15/09/2009 05:10:00 AM
680 Views
If you're referring to the passages I think you're referring to...
- 15/09/2009 11:06:04 AM
788 Views
Good survey!
- 14/09/2009 11:40:58 PM
785 Views
Ah...but where do you draw the line on the occult?
- 15/09/2009 05:07:14 AM
621 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 15/09/2009 12:25:57 AM
665 Views
I read a lot of it for my classes, so I read very little of it for leisure.
- 15/09/2009 12:46:23 AM
711 Views
As someone who read Ab Urbe Condita in Latin...the book you reference "delenda est".
- 15/09/2009 05:04:05 AM
647 Views
Interesting questions!
- 15/09/2009 07:20:05 AM
799 Views
Re: Non-Fiction survey
- 15/09/2009 11:35:48 AM
878 Views
Try reading something new you think you'd like and post a review! 
*NM*
- 17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM
273 Views
*NM*
- 17/09/2009 03:11:47 PM
273 Views
i like non-fiction!
- 15/09/2009 09:40:40 PM
716 Views
Lots of people have recommended The Omnivore's Dilemma to me *NM*
- 17/09/2009 03:14:09 PM
317 Views