The Top 17 Books That Make You Feel Dumb

Rioter Swapna struck a nerve last month when she wrote about the perils of feeling dumb while reading, and we decided to find out which titles really left you scratching your head. It’s a phenomenon every reader has experienced at some point–maybe you read something everyone else loves and you just don’t see the appeal; maybe you read something everyone else loves and they actively make you feel like you’re dumb for not loving it; and maybe you read something that’s supposed to rock your world and you just plain don’t get it.

463 Riot readers completed our latest survey, sharing 406 unique titles that made them feel dumb (each respondent could provide up to three answers). We didn’t ask for specifics, so we’re not going to speculate about how these titles ended up on the list. But we’re sure interested in your take! Here are the top 17 titles, and here’s the full data set for your perusal.

1. Ulysses by James Joyce (71 votes)
2. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (43)