I don't think I've ever done this before.

[rachelmanija]

Poll #30106

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 123

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I just ripped several pages out of a book. Guess why.

View Answers

Some squashed a spider in the index.
11 (8.9%)

It has a pull-out splash page that's a color image of a clown made of human teeth.
21 (17.1%)

It contains an insert that's an ad for cigarettes.
12 (9.8%)

The author's afterword is an extended racist joke calling a Japanese man "Mr.Teriyaki."
29 (23.6%)

It's a mystery novel with an introduction that spoils the mystery.
20 (16.3%)

The author's afterword is a long complaint about#MeToo ruining sex for everyone.
30 (24.4%)

Comments

[wateroverstone]

I think it is something to do with the afterword contents

[recessional]

I mean as with always for you I would believe anything but the others seem like it would be odd to both have that reaction to the thing AND keep the book, whereas the squashed spider I could see it . . .

[rugessnome]

I agree with this although I could sort of see the ad (in an older book) or the introduction (particularly written by someone who isn't the author) not necessarily making the other contents of the book feel too objectionable.

(and maybe even the clown... I am very unattached to that guess and now I can't quite imagine why that would exist but it sounds more weird than bigoted/rapey)

[julian]

The afterword thing (either one) seems disturbingly plausible. (Unless you have a phobia of clowns of which I am unaware.)

[ethelmay]

The only reason I am nearly sure it's not the cigarette ad is that I have never seen one of those that was more than one page.

[ethelmay]

...well, one leaf, as it were. I think they were double-sided, but it's been a long time.

[sushiflop]

This poll is a delightful example of non-standard yet spine-chilling experimental storytelling

[greenwoodside]

With option 2 (the clown) I think I'd just scream and run away.

Guessed final option. You said 'several pages' which would seem to rule out the first three options. Option 5 -- an unfortunately large number of classic and classic-adjacent novels have forewords that spoil the plot. I guess the reviewers assume that the readership is too high-brow to care about the PLOT TWISTS yay I'm way over thirty and still love my plot twists. Gimme. But at a guess you like me have learned to read the foreword after reading the rest of the book.

Option 4: that would be a very long racist joke. Would also be tempted in my case to just write 'what a horrible unfunny attempt at humour this is' in the margin, though am not usually a creator of marginalia.

Option 6: it's a long complaint and seems to take up most of the afterword, which would explain nuking the whole section.