One of the things I am most grateful for is the importance my parents and family placed on reading. Besides giving me a sense of solitude incomparable to anything else, reading has always left me curious. Curiosity which eventually lead to my ever-changing understanding of the world around me, personally, I think for the better.
It is exceptionally easy to get caught up in what we know and what is comfortable. Valuing principles and institutions we hold to our core is crucial, it helps reinforce a sense of self and identity. However, a vital part of development and true growth is the element of exposure.
These, and many other books can help us begin to grasp the limitations of sticking to our own conventional traditions, and the limitations it poses for society as a whole. Reading can help us begin to understand the environment around us which is unfamiliar, while also helping us make sense of our own experiences. In turn, illuminating aspects of society which hinder all of us and our happiness in some way. Also, giving us a chance to become more sympathetic, understanding how others experiences can effect them.
Our generation bears the responsibility of shaping our future and how life will prevail for generations to come. By educating ourselves on different issues, cultures, perspectives, and implications which come with our generation’s habits and behaviors, we create the possibility of bettering life for ourselves and generations to come. Here is a list of books that can help people do that:
1. "The Circle," Dave Eggers
2. "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," Mohsin Hamid
3. "Milk and Honey," Rupi Kaur
4. "Diary of an Oxygen Thief," Anonymous
5. "The Essential Spiral: Ecology and Consciousness after 9/11," Ian Prattis
6. "Keeping You a Secret," Julie Ann Peters
7. "Citizen: An American Lyric," Claudia Rankine
8. "Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar," Cheryl Strayed
9. "We Come from One Place: Poetry about the Ills of Racism, Sexism, Ethno-Centricism and Nepotism," Prince Kwasi Mensah, Nana Nyarko Boateng, Nana Fredua Agyeman, Basanta Kar
10. "The Glass Castle," Jeannette Walls
