10 Jan Books and Empathy – 2019
I dared myself to extend my goal by a few books, and made it to 37. I challenged myself to get over my own book preferences and read outside my usual genres – and I was intentional with the authors I chose to read. I tried a Science Fiction (so I can now say that I did), a mass market author to see what all the fuss is about – a real page turner it was, and a 9-12 book series about bear cubs. And it was one of the most touching books of the year. The journey of the bears forced reflection on the imminent danger that climate presents to the animals in our country and on our planet. David Chariandy’s book Brother – a gut wrenching, raw look at the challenges faced by young Black men in Scarborough. Tanya Tagaq’s book Split Tooth is visceral and beyond description and offers a glimpse into life in the Canadian North. And while books can offer a reprieve from the mad times we’re living in, I couldn’t help but think that if just SOME of our world leaders, took the time to read some of the fiction I read this year, well they may operate with an ounce of compassion and empathy. Here’s hoping anyway. Thank goodness for books. I highlighted my favourites ♥
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“I got a little hope in my chest. Not that it’s gonna get better. Just that it’s gonna change. Sometimes that’s all there is. Cuz that means there’s something going on, somewhere inside all of it, all that turning the world is always doing, that means it was never supposed to stay the same heat. Miss you.” – Tommy Orange, There There
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“So why study history? Unlike physics or economics, history is not a means for making accurate predictions. We study history not to know the future but to widen our horizons, to understand that our present situation is neither natural nor inevitable, and that we consequently have many more possibilities before us than we imagine.” – Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens
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“I wanted to have boyfriends and make art and have interesting conversations and friends. Then the most honest words pushed themselves from my lips: I wanted to be free. She thought about this for a moment, and then said, That sounds pretty good, too.” – Sheila Heti, Motherhood
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“I suppose that’s what I mean when I say we cannot possibly know what will manifest in our lives. We lie and have experiences and leave people we love and get left by them. People we thought would be with us forever aren’t and people we didn’t know would come into our lives do. Our work here is to keep faith with that, to put it in a box and wait. To trust that some day we will know what it means, so that when the ordinary miraculous is revealed to us we will be there … grateful for the smallest things.” – Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Highly Sensitive People’s Handbook
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