Empathy by the book

Reading opens minds and hearts to the experiences of others, write Craig and Marc Kielburger.

Last year, five Virginia teens were found guilty of spraying racist graffiti on a historic black schoolhouse. Instead of hard time, they got hardcovers. The judge handed down a list of books covering themes of racism and persecution, such as Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust novel Night and Solomon’s Northup’s autobiographical 12 Years a Slave. The young offenders were sentenced to read books from the list and write book reports.

“I will do my best to see to it that I never am this ignorant again,” reads one of the resulting essays.

While we won’t advocate literature as punishment, the verdict was perhaps more effective than community service or monetary fines when it comes to attitude and behaviour change. This crime and punishment illustrates the power of books. Reading is proven to foster empathy, putting us inside the mind of another character. With the warm weather approaching, we’re all compiling summer reading lists. Why not skip the 50 shades of drugstore paperback mystery? Instead, see through the eyes of a refugee or a transgender youth.

We asked Canadian librarians for recommendations. Here is a list of tales that will broaden perspectives:

Across Canada, families from Syria, Sudan and elsewhere are settling into new lives. While we get to know them as neighbours, it’s still hard for Canadians to understand what it’s like to flee a troubled country.

The Lucky Ones: African Refugees’ Stories of Extraordinary Change, edited by Anne Mahon, is a collection of true first-person tales, heartwarming and horrifying, from refugees living in Manitoba. If fantasy fiction is your genre, Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West is a gripping adventure novel that weaves magic with real-world issues and experiences of refugees. For teenagers, there’s the graphic novel Escape from Syria by Samya Kullab. And for children, the picture book Where Will I Live? by Rosemary McCarney is an accessible story. Canada has been a proud global leader in defending rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. Yet struggles still exist for many in this community, especially transgender men and women. Casey Plett’s collection of short stories, A Safe Girl to Love, opens a window into the lives of trans women, living everywhere from rural Canada to Brooklyn’s urban jungle.

Books can also be a powerful force for reconciliation in Canada, helping non-Indigenous Canadians to understand the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous peoples. We are fans of Thomas King ’s The Inconvenient Indian, a wonderfully readable journey through Indigenous history. Or gain a deeper understanding of violence against Indigenous women with The Break by Katherena Vermette, a novel set in north Winnipeg. If our suggestions don’t grab you, your local librarian will have just the book for you.

In an age of division, more than ever we need broader perspectives and a deeper understanding of others. Most Canadians will (hopefully), never have to flee a war, or endure vicious bullying. The pages of books deliver feelings and experiences beyond our daily lives. And through that comes the understanding needed to heal the world’s wounds.

Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day. For more dispatches from WE, check out WE Stories at we.org.