[An earlier version of this article appeared with the word “books” rather “reading” in the title. This may have given the impression that the article was about celebrity “blurbs” and endorsements, which it is not, rather than their efforts to promote child and adult literacy. ]

I post lots of stories about books at my Bob on Books Facebook page. There is one category that consistently gets negative reactions. And that is book recommendations by well-known public figures. The two individuals pictured above, along with Bill Gates, regularly post reading lists, and in Oprah’s case, she makes monthly book recommendations that are a windfall for authors and publishers. But if I post their recommendations, I can bet there will be negative or snarky comments.

I wonder why this is. I suspect that one reason is that really bookish people don’t like being told what to read by other people. Discovering books by ourselves, for ourselves, is part of the joy of reading for many of us. No one else knows us like us, and often, the choice of a new book is serendipitous.

Related to that is an independent streak that says, “I don’t want to be reading what everyone else is reading. Haruki Murakami summarizes it best: “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” 

I do think that some of the resistance to the figures I mentioned at the top has to do with controversy. Recommendations from a politician are inherently fraught–even though I’ve found a number quite interesting. As for Mr. Gates, the same thing. If you believe he promotes vaccines to implant microchips in your body (I do not), you will probably not be interested in his book recommendations. And Oprah is such a large personality that people seem to love her, hate her, or envy her.

While bookish people are not generally interested in celebrity recommendations, some seem less offensive. I don’t hear the same pushback for Jenna Bush Hager or Reese Witherspoon, who also have bookclubs. I’ve also found that some bookish people appreciate book recommendations from authors they like. And those promoting reading with children, people like LeVar Burton and Dolly Parton are, by and large, loved. My son’s generation grew up watching Reading Rainbow and loves books. And Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted over 200 million books to children worldwide.

While I suspect there are figures whose reading recommendations I might discount (say a Hitler or some mass killer), I am grateful for the public figures who have spoken up for reading. There are two simple facts. One is that while bookish people read a lot, many people in the U.S, where I live, don’t read at all. In the most recent year, 28 percent hadn’t read a single book, most only read a book a month or 12 in a year. The other is how profound the impact of books is for children, where as few as six extra minutes a day will boost reading performance. That’s why Parton’s program is so cool, in my estimation. Children get their own books every month! Here’s a great page with more such statistics. One thing that is clear to me–all the public figures named in this article have played an important role in encouraging reading–and talking about books!

I haven’t found information for all of those who promote books and bookclubs, but most are not making money off this but often investing money into it. In addition to readers, the ones who benefit are authors and their publishers. Some, like Reese Witherspoon, have special programs for unpublished, underrepresented women. 

So I’m glad to see their tribe increase. They are really doing the same thing I love doing–turning people on to reading by connecting them with good books–except they enjoy a bigger platform. I might not be as excited as they are about some books. But isn’t that true everywhere? I would like to see more men recommending books. This has tended to be a field dominated by women. I was encouraged to find that Radical Reads has a website just dedicated to celebrity book recommendations, with many from men.

So to my fellow booklovers: please stop bashing celebrities who recommend books. They are our friends, our allies, we all are really on the same team, promoting a more literate culture, Instead of negativity, we might ask what we are doing to promote literacy and a love of books. If nothing else, a bit of kindness would not be a bad thing…