the reader of books

I find the whole backlash about this being the privileged, self-indulgent whining of a rich white woman to be complete nonsense. Yes, it's pretty sweet that she has the luxury to travel around the world and examine her feelings or whatever, but that doesn't make her problems any less real or legitimate. Everyone's problems are relative, and classifying people's feelings or worries as "not bad quite enough" is pointless. This isn't a contest to see whose life sucks the most.

That being said, I am sure that Elizabeth Gilbert is a really nice person and I would probably enjoy meeting her, but I found the whole "finding yourself" and nonstop introspection is a bit wearisome. That's why the only section I enjoyed was the Italy section, which focused on food, learning Italian, and making friends. I snoozed trough her section in the ashram and basically mailed it in when she went to Indonesia. Does this make me a shallow person? Probably. But I would rather read about her delicious pasta dish than attempts to commune with a Higher Being.

I am aware this may sound contradictory, but I don't think it is. I DO respect that Elizabeth Gilbert had some serious personal problems she needed to sort out. I DO NOT personally need to read about them in detail.