Hello! I thought I’d clarify the difference between “clean” books, Christian books, and good books. I review all three of those types of books on this website. There is a difference between those categories, although it’s possible for them to overlap. I’ll explain the three categories in more detail.
Clean Books
Basically, clean books don’t have objectionable content. Some examples of clean YA books include Cinder by Marissa Meyer and The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale.
I slightly dislike the label “clean.” I know it’s necessary; I’ll be mostly reviewing books that don’t contain a lot of objectionable elements, so I’ll be mostly reviewing clean books. However, I prefer reviewing good books over clean books. Many people think clean books are good, and books that aren’t clean aren’t good. However, that isn’t always true.
For me, the most important aspect of a book is the message. That’s what makes a book good or bad. If the message is good, and if the book doesn’t use any unnecessary objectionable elements to communicate that message, that’s great. See more in my definition of good books.
Christian Books
I don’t like this label much either. “Christian fiction” usually describes books that mention God or Christianity directly. Those types of books can be good, but I don’t like how…how exclusive it is, honestly. Books that don’t mention God directly can still include Christian messages, good messages, and books that do mention God directly can communicate messages about Him that are not true or good.
Also, the label “Christian fiction” indicates that if a book doesn’t include a direct mention of God or Christianity, it isn’t “Christian.” That is not true. I’ve mentioned that my favorite author is C. S. Lewis; he was a Christian, but most of his fiction doesn’t mention God directly. Does that mean they’re not “Christian”? Their messages are clearly Christian. I think they are very clearly written by a Christian, although they wouldn’t be considered “Christian fiction.”
The overall genre of Christian fiction…honestly—sorry, but I’ve disliked most of the Christian fiction books I’ve read. Most Christian fiction books are notoriously unrealistic, and they’re not very interesting. They are mostly clean, but they’re not very good. What does it mean for a book to be good?
Good Books
There are so many different elements that work together to make a book good. Likable and realistic characters, an interesting and compelling plot, a believable and creative world…those things are all important. A good book will have those three things, at least, in addition to well-written narration and prose. However, the most important thing about a book, in my opinion, is the message. That’s what makes a book good.
What is the message of a book? It’s…what the book is saying about humanity, about life, about good and evil, or about something else. It’s the lesson that the main character learns, or the message that the audience learns by watching the main character. It’s what we remember about a story. For example, the message of The Hunger Games is that…well, this is debatable, but I think the message of The Hunger Games is that there’s more to life than survival, that humans are broken and sinful, that killing is evil. It’s a sad message, but it’s true and good.
I know some Christians don’t like The Hunger Games because of the objectionable content. What exactly is the objectionable content in that series? There’s a lot of violence and a few kisses. Does that mean it’s not good?
Well, I’ve just said it’s good. The Hunger Games do have objectionable elements, but they are not unnecessarily descriptive, and they have a purpose—they help communicate the message of the series, they help show the evil of sin. I believe that books can use objectionable elements in a way that helps communicate a good message effectively, powerfully.
For example, Macbeth is also very violent. The protagonist, Macbeth, (spoilers for Macbeth) kills several people to become king, sends some assassins to kill his enemies while he’s king, and eventually is killed by one enemy that escaped. It’s very violent, but the violence has a purpose. It shows the extent of evil, the effects of unresolved guilt, the dark, evil lengths that people will go to when they’re trying to cover sin. The play is a strong, clear message to avoid evil.
(What is sin? Great question 🙂 I answer it here, if you’re interested.)
Sometimes objectionable elements are also realistic. For another example, Unbroken, a popular nonfiction book, is very graphically violent and sad. It’s a true story, and it’s heartbreaking…and it is a very good book. The objectionable content in that story is real. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of how much we have now, of how grateful we should be to not have to endure things like that. But it really happened to some people.
By extension…the world is objectionable. There are objectionable elements in fiction because the world is broken; it’s impossible to avoid every bad thing that exists. No books are perfect; no book is going to be completely free of objectionable things. If a book addresses realistic issues, it can use objectionable content to make the message more powerful and important and good. For example…the Bible. The Bible addresses every aspect of the human experience, including sin. The Bible is perfect; it’s the Word of God. And it contains…about every objectionable element possible. Does that mean we shouldn’t read it? Obviously not. The objectionable elements in the Bible are realistic, not descriptive, and intentionally serve a purpose: they clearly show the effects of sin and evil. Everything about the Bible is perfect; it uses objectionable content perfectly. Similarly, fictional stories can also use objectionable content well.
However, some objectionable content is not necessary. Sometimes it’s portrayed in a way that makes it look desirable. I won’t review books that portray it like that. Even if a book has good characters, a good plot, and a good setting, I won’t read it if it has a lot of unnecessary objectionable content.
So, overall, that’s what makes a book good. That’s the difference between good books, Christian books, and clean books. Of course, the categories can overlap. I’ll mainly review books that are clean, but the most important consideration, in my opinion, is whether the book is good. A book’s message makes it memorable and enjoyable and good. That’s the kind of book I’ll mainly be reviewing on this website. Thanks for reading!