Why You Shouldn’t Judge a Book By Its Cover
I am often attracted to the cover of a book, and if the synopsis is also appealing I will usually buy it. Lured in by the creative artwork, the colours, or even the simplicity, I have read some amazing books that would normally have been outside of my usual genre or taste.
However, when looking beyond the cover, we examine the essence of a book, the literary prowess of a novel. The cover becomes redundant, the content the main attraction, the star of the show; and if this doesn’t stack up then the book really doesn’t do its job. No matter how pretty the cover looks on the bookshelf, it will remain unread, unloved, and gathering dust.
Applying this same philosophy to life, the people that we meet and whose paths we cross, we should not form an opinion of them based on looks alone. In the inspiring words of Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), “You’ll never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” For me, it is one of the key takeaways from that book. The same can be said for delving into a book, no matter what the cover looks like.
The very first copy of that book that I owned had a simple black cover, plain title text, and the outline of a bird in what looks like white chalk. It didn’t stand out from the other books, in fact, it was lost amongst the glorious coloured covers of the other books on the shelf. I can honestly say that if I hadn’t had to buy a copy because of my school literature curriculum, I may very well have never bought it at all, and what a travesty that would have been. Imagine missing out on something as rich as To Kill a Mockingbird, a literary classic and my most favourite book of all time.
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With 30 years of general management experience in the global insurance industry and having lived in 4 countries, Jacqui now spends her time between London and New York where she continues to pursue her passion for writing, food, books and travel.
A Reiki practitioner, yogi and huge animal advocate, her home isn’t complete without a furbaby or three. In addition to being a BooknBrunch contributor, she writes for industry publications.
Favourite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Favourite brunch dish: avocado toast with tomato and chilli
