Bibliophilia - 1982 – Jian Ghomeshi

1982 – Jian Ghomeshi

Just don’t read this book.

I borrowed it a few months ago from my sister and it was an okay read. I tried to catch the author’s CBC radio show as often as I could, generally always enjoyed it, and thought I’d give this a go. The memoir of a dorky, new wave music obsessed teenager in an Ontario suburb in the early 80’s, there were a lot of cultural touchstones I identified with. He’s literally a week older than me, and I could relate to much of what he wrote about.

It isn’t a horrible book, but it certainly isn’t the best thing you’ll ever read either. If he wasn’t the host of a popular radio show, would many have read it? Likely not.

But what really compels me to say “Just don’t read this book” are the recent revelations about his behaviour off the air. In case any one reading this is unaware, the author was accused by multiple female sources of being a creep at best, and a violent rapist at worst. I can’t recall a fall from grace so shocking, so swift and so spectacular. After being fired from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, being utterly vilified everywhere, about a week ago, he was charged by Toronto Police with four counts of sexual assault, and a rarely used charge, “overcome resistance – choking”.

I have a serious hate on for rapists, and while you would be correct to say that he has been charged and not convicted, I still think no one else read his book. Don’t even borrow it from the library, don’t even buy it from the remainder bin - fuck him. Just don’t give him the satisfaction of reading it. You won’t be missing much, and shitstains that hurt women should be ostracized.