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I think there’s a difference between reading a book because you want to read it (entertainment) and reading a book because you have to (work or education).
In the first case, it depends: a historical novel should include material that makes it true to period without sanitising it; I certainly don’t want that airbrushed out. However, it needs to be in the background not the foreground - I’m reading to be entertained not to be disgusted. I can and do drop books I find banal and boring, but I would not drop a challenging book unless it comes across as gratuitous.
In the second case, yes, I would read it - I’m reading the book for a reason. The idea here is to challenge my assumptions - either what I believed to be true or to educate myself on conditions (historical or present day). If that makes me uncomfortable, then so be it.
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