this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2026
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Having Hard Time Reading a certain book. (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) by Fredselfish@lemmy.world to c/books@lemmy.world
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I have started reading Climbing the Mountain My Search for Meaning by Kirk Douglas.

I picked it up at first because thought it was just another celebrity autobiography. But this one is different. Kirk goes over what it like to be Jewish and his search for his spirituality.

The problem is with how things are going in Gaza I am having hard time sympathizing with the Israeli the way written in this book. Further more I wonder how he would feel about it all if he was alive today?

Anyway 134 pages in and when he mentions the name Bibi Netanyahu I stopped and found it hard to breath. He doesn't go in detail about the man but just passing note he wrote as he writing about a lunch he had with Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. As someone feels strongly that Israeli is committing genocide and Palestine should be set free, not sure I should finish said novel.

What would you do if your over halfway through a book that is interesting but then troublesome at same time?

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[–] proudblond@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

If it were me, I’d probably put it down — for now. We are actively living through some fucked up history. Time and distance will not change the fact that an entire race of people is being murdered, but they may make it easier to get through. Especially if Bibi gets what’s coming to him someday. (Not that I’m holding my breath.)

Ultimately it is okay to put a book down for any reason. If something is getting in the way of your enjoyment or you’re being distracted by things outside of it, you’re probably not getting as much out of it as you otherwise might.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago

Yeah what I figured. Hell got plenty of books to read just move to the next one. Thank you.

[–] yenahmik@lemmy.world 5 points 4 weeks ago

  1. If you're not enjoying reading something, you don't have to finish it.

  2. At the end of the day, this is one man's perspective and it could be an interesting snippet of a historical nature. It doesn't mean you have to agree with what is said or how certain people are portrayed to get value from it. It just means this person's perspective is different from yours. It's up to you if there is value in that for you. If not, refer to point 1.

Note: I have never heard of this book, have not looked up anything about it, and probably wouldn't read it as I generally prefer fiction.

[–] AngryRedHerring@lemmy.world 4 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Does he talk about the time he raped Natalie Wood?

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

What? No this is not his autobiography but different novel of his. I didn't know he did that? Was planning on getting his autobiography called Ragmans Son.

[–] gramie@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Natalie's sister alleges that he did, but as far as I know there has been no corroborating evidence or other testimony.

[–] AngryRedHerring@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Her mother, who was waiting in the car for her after her meeting with Douglas.

So. What "corroborating evidence" would you expect? You think Douglas raped her in front of an audience?

[–] gramie@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm just pointing out that there is no corroborating evidence. As for what the mother witnessed afterwards, we still only have the sister's book, not any direct statements.

Douglas may well have raped her, that would have been in keeping with the times and the power dynamics.

[–] AngryRedHerring@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

...And those dynamics included the shame the victim endured, and the powerlessness when set against one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

It happened 70 years ago, and they kept it in the family-- nothing but trouble would have come for them bringing it up during Natalie's life (we still weren't all that enlightened on victim's rights in '81). Lana Wood came forward with it in the wake of MeToo. It's pointless to bring up "corroborating evidence" now; almost everyone in that orbit is dead by now, and Natalie's been dead for 45 years. Why would Lana Wood lie about it?

I don't mean to chastise. Natalie Wood didn't exactly have good luck with men, and it's a damn shame that the thought is out there that somehow Lana Wood's accusation is weakened by the lack of proof after 70 years. She's the only one left who could possibly tell the tale, and after all this time it deserved to be told. I can only think that she felt a great injustice had never been addressed, and if she didn't do it, it would never happen. Kirk Douglas did not deserve her taking that secret to the grave.

Except for sci-fi movies, the 50s totally sucked.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 2 points 4 weeks ago

For me, I'd finish it. But I'm me and not you. So it's OK to not finish it, or not finish it yet.

Remember that you don't have to like, accept, agree with, nor believe what you read.