According to Facebook

Daniela sent me an email comparing the Network Statistics of the Facebook user groups "Boston, MA" and "Las Vegas, NV." Facebook asks its users to fill in fields for their favorite books, music, things to do, etc; Network Statistics lets you look at the most popular answers given to any of these fields. So, there are 345,297 people in the "Boston, MA" user group and 54,821 in "Las Vegas, NV." Daniela pointed out that what we're really comparing are the interests of only the 20-somethings in each place, and we should remember that before we assume everyone in both places are complete idiots. Only the 20-somethings in both places are complete idiots. It's an important distinction. So, according to Facebook, here are Las Vegans' favorite books (in order):

1 Harry Potter
2 The Bible
3 Da Vinci Code
4 Angels And Demons
5 The Great Gatsby
6 1984
7 Stephen King




I have a few problems with this list. I mean, I'm going to make fun of Las Vegas regardless of its taste in books, but this IS a pretty weak list. The largest number of people listed Harry Potter as their favorite book? Really? Really? REALLY? Because it's a hip thing to read, or because people in Las Vegas love fantasy novels? Or children's books maybe? I don't understand the popularity of Harry Potter, but I've never read any of them either. I have better things to do with my time... like criticizing books I've never read on my blog and drinking six cups of tea a day.

The Bible is a good book to have on your list, but only if it's number 1. To say that you enjoy the word of God, but not as much as Harry Potter only makes you look silly. Either its on the list at number 1, or you don't list it because it's in a category of its own and you can't compare it to the modest efforts of human beings.

After finishing up their top 7 with Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and Stephen King, the Harry Potter answer seems to make more sense. Las Vegans like what's popular. Like any major city's populace I imagine. Maybe we should only really look at the last two books as its serious entries. The Great Gatsby and 1984 are popular but they're not currently on any best-seller list. Actually, I'll include the Bible in the REAL list for Las Vegas because that's a book you might not find in every city's top 10. So, the final list for Las Vegas is: The Bible (at number 2), The Great Gatsby and 1984. Let's compare this list to Boston's:

1 Harry Potter
2 Catcher In The Rye
3 Angels And Demons
4 To Kill A Mockingbird
5 The Great Gatsby
6 The Davinci Code
7 The Bible
8 1984
9 Memoirs Of A Geisha




Oooooh! SNAP YO! So, for the same reasons I stated above, let's knock Harry Potter, Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code off the list (although, I would like to note that the Da Vinci Code lost out to The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Great Gatsby). We see the Bible on this list as well but at a disappointing 7.

OK. Now what can we deduce? Not much. Las Vegans like the Bible more than Bostonians do, but Bostonians really liked The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird (neither made Las Vegas' list). Las Vegas is God country and Bostonians like great American novels better. I noticed that on Boston's list The Da Vinci Code is entered as "The Davinci Code." Does that mean that Facebook counted entries like "The Da Vinci Code," "Da Vinci Code," and "Davinci Code" as separate entries? Probably. So maybe that book is actually higher on the list. Which also means that more Bostonians misspelled that book's title than got it right. Popular novels made it into both cities' favorite books. Because people tend to say their favorite books are the ones they just finished reading? Or because today's bestsellers are just fantastic? Or because they appeal to the lowest common denominator among us? Lastly, both lists seem pretty negative, no? A dystopian novel where even love can be conquered by violence and fear, a book about the roaring '20s and the tragic life of a liquor smuggler, a novel about segregation and racial violence, a book about being misunderstood and the jaded feelings of youth, and a book about a Japanese whore (only not really: Geisha aren't whores).

This whole thing was very scientific.

Technorati tags: Facebook, Books, Boston, Las Vegas