A love letter to reading and its self-help power
BIBLIO THERAPY
Bijal Shah Piatkus, €24 acts possible. It changes minds, heals broken hearts, connects you to something greater, gives tantalising glimpses into the mysteries of existence. To quote that great modern-day Romantic poet Morrissey: “There’s more to life than books – but not much more.”
As I say, readers have always known this. It’s nice to have it confirmed by an expert, in Bibliotherapy. Bijal Shah is a Kenyan-born, UK-based author and counsellor, who specialises in the titular practice – the wondrous benefits of engaging with books, or as the subtitle puts it, “The Healing Power of Reading”.
She defines bibliotherapy thus: “An art therapy that leverages the power of stories to heal. Its magic lies in the relationship formed between the reader and the writing.” A quote elsewhere, from George Eliot, drives it home: “Art is the nearest thing to life... a mode of amplifying experience and extending contact with our fellow men.”
Bibliotherapy (book, not practice) is delineated into three main sections, of which the first is probably the most important (and, for anyone new to it, most interesting). This introduction explains how and why bibliotherapy works on the mind, the mechanics, and Shah’s own serendipitous discovery of it.
Part II delves into case studies, her own and patients’ – to preserve anonymity and for therapeutic clarity, Shah has blended their different experiences together – which expands on the different paths bibliotherapy can take, depending on the individual’s needs and literary preferences (any kind of book works, by the way: fiction, fact, poetry, whatever).
The final section is all about curating your own therapeutic library, complete with a lengthy list of suggested works, appropriate for every imaginable emotional or psychological situation. Readers will have good craic tut-tutting “No, I hated that novel... yeah, that one was OK” at Shah’s recommendations.
An ardent love-letter to books and a hands-on self-help guide in one. Get reading, readers.