Do you learn the lessons taught in books?

[vinay87]

I've been reading Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and throughout my read I'm finding myself wondering why we never read books like these in school. Assuredly I'd not have understood the content of it back then and I'd have found it boring but surely they'd have made better lessons than the ones we've had.

 

The one thing I've always wondered is if we pay attention to the lessons taught by history or by the wisdom of writers. Sure we have bad writers now that a greater section of humanity is being educated, but we've had lessons handed down to us by people dead for centuries, if not millenia.

 

Do we learn from them?

 

I might be asking this out of boredom, and if it doesn't make any sense let me know, but I honestly wonder if we do change because of the books we read.

 

After this book, I've changed, perhaps much more than I thought I have. I do not know if that's happening every time I read a book. I do know some books contain that potential more than others. 1984 frightened me more than any other book around. To be honest something like that is happening here in India. The government wants to take action against Google and Facebook for letting people have debates about religion and to "write defamatory articles against certain politicians". It's a pretty controversial topic here as it clearly steps on our "freedom of speech". Censoring the internet is like burning books in my opinion.

 

So do you learn things from books? Fiction and non-fiction alike? Or has some book really changed your life?

 

I've always wondered about the power of books to alter lives, perhaps that is changing with time now as there are so many books now. Yet do we let them affect us or does the sheer population of books make us inert to the ideas they contain.

 

I've read several books which could be called life-changing but I've never felt the effects in my own life. The only book I could say has changed my view on life is perhaps The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery. Although I've read several books with bated breath, I've never felt any change in my life because of them. As a writer I find the fact that words can affect someone very overwhelming. As a reader, it scares me.

 

Again, I wonder if I'm being pretty vague here. Not really sure if this is the place for this topic either though.

[Lumo]

I have read books that changed the way I thought about things. However, rather than being general life changing events, it is normally the case that they change my view on a distinct small set of things. The first book that comes to mind is: Reckoning with Risk (Gerd Gigerenzer). I didn't think I would get too much from this book, but his descriptions of statistical interpretations I found very relevant to some current issues (for example, should men routinely be tested for prostate cancer?). I had never before fully realised that the accuracy of a test depends on the risk category that one is in. For example, despite exactly the same test being done, a positive result from an HIV test is more likely to be accurate if the person is from a high risk background than a low risk background.

 

As I said, that is a very narrow change in my perspective on things, but I find this much more common than truly life changing alterations. Indeed I can't think of one book that I could say actually changed my life. On a personal level, some fiction books made me really think about my life, for example: Travels with my Aunt (Graham Greene) made me assess some things about me, but not in a sudden life changing way. Some philosophy texts also made me question how I view things, but again, I can't point to one and see a change with me after reading the book being dramatically different from how I was before reading the book.

 

So I would say that (sometimes) I do learn the lessons taught in books, but often they probably go straight over my head, or I read them and think "this book really is a warning about what's happening" but I wonder whether or not I actually fully take on board the message. This might be good in many ways, I would not like to be able to read a book and be influenced by it so much that I completely change, as you say, that would be quite scary.

[julie]

Hi Vinay

I think that is a wonderful question . In my own life, I'll have to agree with you regarding books we were assigned in school. I always loved to read,so it was one of the best classes for me, but many of the assigned books seemed boring back then,and I wondered why we had to read such boring things when there are so many more interesting books to read .

I guess maybe it's age for one thing, because if I'd go back now and read the same books, I'm sure I'd get much more out of them and understandd why they were assigned to us .

As far as life lessons and learning from books ? I think I learn something from every book I read. Some more than others, depending on the topic.

I actually tend to lean towards books that some people would think are depressing or not "happy" type stories .I think I can learn a lot more by reading those that have some type of a serious issue in it, whether it is a big issue like War, or Terrorism, Death, etc . Or maybe just a serious family drama in which people are having a serious life altering event in their own family and wondering how they will deal with it and get through it .

I also find books fascinating that have a child growing up in a really broken family ,and to see how they are able to overcome that, and whether they are able to become a better person than their role models in life were ,or whether they end up going down the same path and repeating the mistakes that they had already lived through .

So, because I live in a family that is also "broken" ,it helps me to read these books,even if they might be fiction, or if they might only have a little piece of what I have witnessed. It helps me compare that to my life ,and maybe learn about how someone else dealt with the same thing .

As far as big issues like wars and people persecuting each other unfairly due to different beliefs, I'd like to think that we can learn from those stories and become better people and not repeat the same things ,but sadly, to some degree anyhow ,those lessons are hard to learn and may take generations until people are able to see the error in our ways from long ago .

I really can't comment a lot on how things are in other countries since I have never lived elsewhere,but in our country for example, I can look at a huge problem that has been going on before and during my lifetime,which has been racism . When I was born ,things were very bad, people were treated so unfairly .It breaks your heart to see how one race of people treats another, due to nothing other than how they look in the mirror . I have seen that improve a lot in the past 50 years ,but is it cured ? Absolutely not . I think other races have many more opportunities than they had 50 years ago, but I think there are some areas in which it is really still pretty lopsided . In our justice system, we are all to have a fair trial if we are accused of a crime, but I think that is biased ,not only by race,but finances . If you are wealthy,then you can buy the best lawyer and get defended by someone with lots of experience and maybe stand a good chance of getting off or having a reduced sentence at the most. If you are poor, from a bad area and unable to provide your own lawyer,they appoint you one, but you don't always get someone who will have their heart in the case and try with everything they've got to save you . I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but for the most part, court appointed attorneys really just come in,do their job, go home,and do it all again the next day,just for a paycheck .

I think when it comes to job opportunities, things are better now,but not as equal as they should be .

I think when it comes to people in general, it depends on AGE .

People my age probably remember the race riots, back of the bus, drink out of different water fountains, no eating in our restaurants,etc .. It breaks my heart to see how people were treated in my lifetime . I have no experience firsthand with any of this other than seeing it on tv or in books . I do think that each generation improves though. There are still some people my age that are racists to some extent . I think people my kid's age are less so,and more open to associating and being close friends with people out of their "circle" . I think my grandkids are even better than that. They don't even seem to SEE color,they SEE people ,which is wonderful to me .

So,to answer your question ,just for me personally , I think I learn by EVERY book I read. I think I use each thing I learn like I am building a jigsaw puzzle,and each book gives me one more piece for my puzzle . It is helping me to see a whole picture .

The only book I can remember reading regarding your country that REALLY impacted me greatly ,was A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry . It was probably one of the BEST books I have ever read,but it got so difficult to digest ,I had to lay it down at times and walk away from it for a bit . Some of the things about life during that time was so very difficult . I must say your country is so fascinating .It seems to have so many "layers" that need peeled back to understand it completely . I really hope that your country can continue to improve as time goes on,and become more fair ,so that you are able to discuss anything without censoreship. We should all have that right . Sometimes these things take time, education ,and teaching the younger generation that things CAN improve .Maybe that's what can happen there . I certainly hope so .

[vinay87]

Hi Julie! Thanks for reminding me about Mistry's book. I read it as a teenager and it flew over my head. I must revisit it soon.

 

I do agree about the books that sound depressing. They have a stronger dosage of the medicine we require, I believe. Happier lessons teaching us to thank nature for the wonderful life we have just aren't strong enough for us to absorb. Or that's just my view. I think we take in sterner lessons easily than softer ones. An interesting thing to notice! I will post more on this tomorrow once I return from work.

[julie]

Hi Vinay

Yes, I see what you mean . The saying here is What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger .

Not exactly a pleasant way of putting it, but I find that the best way to learn a lesson is the hard way. If Life is always easy and wonderful then we really don't have to WORK at it and TRY harder to become a better person.

So maybe in a way, we need to study the things that happen to us that are difficult and it makes us think more about how we can make them better .

I think sometimes that all the unhappy events in my life have made me try harder to be more understanding of others and try to see other people's viewpoints instead of just wandering through life with blinders on .

I'll be watching for your comments when you have the time to post .

[Ruth]

What a great thread

 

I would say that certain books have made me more interested in certain subjects. For example, I first read Dead Man Walking, by Sister Helen Prejean, several years ago. Although prior to reading it, I was still against the death penalty, it wasn't something that I gave a lot of thought to, but since reading that book, while my views haven't changed in principal (I'm still totally against it), I definitely feel a lot more strongly about it.

 

When I read To Kill A Mockingbird (first time), I was about 14 years old. Until then I had never really been confronted with injustice and bigotry, having been brought up in a happy family - and I'd probably led a somewhat sheltered life, but that book opened my eyes and made me want to learn more about the persecution, injustice and ignorance that people suffer on a daily basis.

 

Other books which have affected me are A Clockwork Orange, and The Handmaid's Tale. A Clockwork Orange made me question the ethics of certain treatments, and whether it is justifiable to (a) try and alter someone's behaviour using such methods as were used on Alex; and the whole issue of treating symptoms rather than the cause of a problem (relevant in today's society still).

 

The Handmaid's Tale scared the heck out of me! And on a deeper level, made me realise the insiduous way in which authorities can make small changes, which people take no notice of at the time, until they suddenly realise that all their rights have been taken away.

 

So I'm not sure if I've learned lessons from books - but some books have certainly strengthened my beliefs, or made me question them - or have opened my eyes to things I was not necessarily aware of.

 

(Garbled a bit there - hope I made sense!)

[julie]

Hi Ruth

I'd have to agree with you on the Death Penalty. I haven't read the book you mentioned, but have read others on it ,one which was true and had occurred maybe back in the 1940's or 50's . The warden of this prison had his doubts whether this man on death row was actually guilty ,and had been present during many deaths sentences being carried out,but he somehow felt this guy wasn't guilty,but couldn't find a way to help him or prove it . They of course didn't have DNA and all the modern technology then to be more sure of the guilty parties,so they went through with the execution. At the end of the book, they somehow got the proof that the boy they killed WAS innocent . Sure wish I could remember thee name of that book .

After reading that, I feel that if we make ONE mistake like that, we are as bad as the murderers . We are participating in killing innocent people. NOT acceptible.

I also do not think that it is a deterrent to a crime in any way ,and we should not have the authority to choose who dies. That isn't our place to say .

Living your entire life behind bars like a zoo animal would be a lot worse than laying down, getting an IV and falling asleep permanently. MUCH too easy for them. Make them live, make them stay in jail .

Just my 2 cent's .

Edited January 17, 2012 by julie

[vinay87]

I think that is a wonderful question . In my own life, I'll have to agree with you regarding books we were assigned in school. I always loved to read,so it was one of the best classes for me, but many of the assigned books seemed boring back then,and I wondered why we had to read such boring things when there are so many more interesting books to read .

I guess maybe it's age for one thing, because if I'd go back now and read the same books, I'm sure I'd get much more out of them and understandd why they were assigned to us .

As far as life lessons and learning from books ? I think I learn something from every book I read. Some more than others, depending on the topic.

I also find books fascinating that have a child growing up in a really broken family ,and to see how they are able to overcome that, and whether they are able to become a better person than their role models in life were ,or whether they end up going down the same path and repeating the mistakes that they had already lived through

 

.....

 

People my age probably remember the race riots, back of the bus, drink out of different water fountains, no eating in our restaurants,etc .. It breaks my heart to see how people were treated in my lifetime . I have no experience firsthand with any of this other than seeing it on tv or in books . I do think that each generation improves though. There are still some people my age that are racists to some extent . I think people my kid's age are less so,and more open to associating and being close friends with people out of their "circle" . I think my grandkids are even better than that. They don't even seem to SEE color,they SEE people ,which is wonderful to me .

So,to answer your question ,just for me personally , I think I learn by EVERY book I read. I think I use each thing I learn like I am building a jigsaw puzzle,and each book gives me one more piece for my puzzle . It is helping me to see a whole picture .

Hello Julie, here's the reply I promised you.

The bit about the broken household rings true. I can see the appeal in that story, in a way it's next to formulaic but it's always got something new to offer. Harry Potter stemmed out that way if you've read it. So did many other books. In a way showing a person's growth is a way to churn out all the advice a writer has to offer. It's an amusing bit of a cheat when it comes to that, but it's a cheat that we love to read.

Racism always shocks me. Despite living in a country where the language spoken changes drastically with every 100 kilometers, where people eat completely different foods and have different likes and dislikes, celebrate the same festivals in shockingly different ways, I am a stranger to racism. I wonder if I've ignored it completely or if it is almost nonexistent here. The stories of racism from the west is always shocking. Thankfully yes, every generation improves. In some sects here non-vegetarian food is considered dirty and people will not eat in the same room as another who is eating meat, let alone on the same table. I am a part of that sect but I do not share the same views. I do not eat meat only because I see no reason to and have no cravings for it but I sit with my friends or even total strangers without any discomfort when they're eating meat. I think I'd be more appalled if they ate using the serving spoon than if they ate meat!

Books show these things, opening a window to worlds unknown but what does that mean when we, sitting thousands of kilometers away, can talk this way? The world becomes smaller every day so what do books have to offer.

 

 

Hi Vinay

Yes, I see what you mean . The saying here is What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger .

Not exactly a pleasant way of putting it, but I find that the best way to learn a lesson is the hard way. If Life is always easy and wonderful then we really don't have to WORK at it and TRY harder to become a better person.

So maybe in a way, we need to study the things that happen to us that are difficult and it makes us think more about how we can make them better .

I think sometimes that all the unhappy events in my life have made me try harder to be more understanding of others and try to see other people's viewpoints instead of just wandering through life with blinders on .

 

Exactly! Medicine works best when it's foul tasting, I like to say. Although I wonder how strongly books affect us in this manner, life's experiences work well but do books share the same power? Or are we just overestimating the power of the written word?

 

What a great thread

 

I would say that certain books have made me more interested in certain subjects. For example, I first read Dead Man Walking, by Sister Helen Prejean, several years ago. Although prior to reading it, I was still against the death penalty, it wasn't something that I gave a lot of thought to, but since reading that book, while my views haven't changed in principal (I'm still totally against it), I definitely feel a lot more strongly about it.

 

When I read To Kill A Mockingbird (first time), I was about 14 years old. Until then I had never really been confronted with injustice and bigotry, having been brought up in a happy family - and I'd probably led a somewhat sheltered life, but that book opened my eyes and made me want to learn more about the persecution, injustice and ignorance that people suffer on a daily basis.

 

Other books which have affected me are A Clockwork Orange, and The Handmaid's Tale. A Clockwork Orange made me question the ethics of certain treatments, and whether it is justifiable to (a) try and alter someone's behaviour using such methods as were used on Alex; and the whole issue of treating symptoms rather than the cause of a problem (relevant in today's society still).

 

The Handmaid's Tale scared the heck out of me! And on a deeper level, made me realise the insiduous way in which authorities can make small changes, which people take no notice of at the time, until they suddenly realise that all their rights have been taken away.

 

So I'm not sure if I've learned lessons from books - but some books have certainly strengthened my beliefs, or made me question them - or have opened my eyes to things I was not necessarily aware of.

 

(Garbled a bit there - hope I made sense!)

You made sense to me!

That's what I mean. Books have that power to let you question your beliefs, but what do you take away from fiction? Books of history do help, those are real, but are fictitious stories just as real where their effect is concerned or do we subconsciously treat them any differently?

 

I've undergone that same kind of fear, 1984 is the best example. The thought that everything we have taken for granted like innocent love can be ripped away from us and wiped away from our minds is really horrifying. I find such books scarier than anything Stephen King writes.

 

Your thoughts about the death penalty seem interesting. How would you say you're feeling strongly about it now compared to before? You mean you're more adamant in your stance against it now than you were earlier? Was that because you sympathized with the character? I'm curious from a writer's point of view here now.

 

Sure wish I could remember thee name of that book .

After reading that, I feel that if we make ONE mistake like that, we are as bad as the murderers . We are participating in killing innocent people. NOT acceptible.

I also do not think that it is a deterrent to a crime in any way ,and we should not have the authority to choose who dies. That isn't our place to say .

Living your entire life behind bars like a zoo animal would be a lot worse than laying down, getting an IV and falling asleep permanently. MUCH too easy for them. Make them live, make them stay in jail .

Just my 2 cent's .

Julie, maybe you could try asking in the "what is the name of that book" section of the forum. Silly me, the irony being I've forgotten the name of that part of the forum!

 

I have read books that changed the way I thought about things. However, rather than being general life changing events, it is normally the case that they change my view on a distinct small set of things. The first book that comes to mind is: Reckoning with Risk (Gerd Gigerenzer). I didn't think I would get too much from this book, but his descriptions of statistical interpretations I found very relevant to some current issues (for example, should men routinely be tested for prostate cancer?). I had never before fully realised that the accuracy of a test depends on the risk category that one is in. For example, despite exactly the same test being done, a positive result from an HIV test is more likely to be accurate if the person is from a high risk background than a low risk background.

 

As I said, that is a very narrow change in my perspective on things, but I find this much more common than truly life changing alterations. Indeed I can't think of one book that I could say actually changed my life. On a personal level, some fiction books made me really think about my life, for example: Travels with my Aunt (Graham Greene) made me assess some things about me, but not in a sudden life changing way. Some philosophy texts also made me question how I view things, but again, I can't point to one and see a change with me after reading the book being dramatically different from how I was before reading the book.

 

So I would say that (sometimes) I do learn the lessons taught in books, but often they probably go straight over my head, or I read them and think "this book really is a warning about what's happening" but I wonder whether or not I actually fully take on board the message. This might be good in many ways, I would not like to be able to read a book and be influenced by it so much that I completely change, as you say, that would be quite scary.

 

A book about statistical interpretations? Whoa, that's the last placed I'd have expected advice to lurk around. The Graham Green book seems interesting, been a decade since I've read anything by him.

As to your thoughts, yes I see how change can be tiny. But isn't that all that's needed? If we can, to use Julie's example, make one racist question his character just a tiny bit, wouldn't that increase with rereads?

Edited January 17, 2012 by vinay87

[julie]

Vinay

I think everyone that is a member in here would say the power of the written word is very important, or we wouldn't all gather here . If it weren't for the storytellers, even of long ago in places that had no "written" stories, they were passed along through the generations by the elders.

So I think stories of times past ,whether fiction or nonfiction have the power to affect us and change us. It makes me think outside the box sometimes if I read what another person thinks about a particular subject. It also allows me to be put in their shoes so I can try to understand what it would be like in their position .

If I remember A Fine Balance correctly, there were many issues there (if the book follows truth ) ,of racism or maybe it would be more accurate to call it persecution or segregation ., although maybe that wouldn't be the term for it there . I call it SHELVES .It seems there are many religions, many customs and beliefs ,and people are on different shelves because of that. Is the book accurate in that respect ?

It's a fascinating country to learn about . I have a Dr from there ,and my favorite x-ray ultrasound lady is also from there. She is the sweetest person I have ever met .I have found from talking to her that your country seems to feel that education is one of the greatest gifts a person can have . It is refreshing to talk to someone like that who feels so very lucky to have come here and both her kids are in college to become doctors,so she is very proud of them .

 

Books show these things, opening a window to worlds unknown but what does that mean when we, sitting thousands of kilometers away, can talk this way? The world becomes smaller every day so what do books have to offer.

 

I think it means were are so lucky to be able to "talk" to each other from so far away and discuss these things so our countries and people learn to understand each other better .

[Ruth]

Racism always shocks me. Despite living in a country where the language spoken changes drastically with every 100 kilometers, where people eat completely different foods and have different likes and dislikes, celebrate the same festivals in shockingly different ways, I am a stranger to racism. I wonder if I've ignored it completely or if it is almost nonexistent here. The stories of racism from the west is always shocking. Thankfully yes, every generation improves. In some sects here non-vegetarian food is considered dirty and people will not eat in the same room as another who is eating meat, let alone on the same table. I am a part of that sect but I do not share the same views. I do not eat meat only because I see no reason to and have no cravings for it but I sit with my friends or even total strangers without any discomfort when they're eating meat. I think I'd be more appalled if they ate using the serving spoon than if they ate meat!

Books show these things, opening a window to worlds unknown but what does that mean when we, sitting thousands of kilometers away, can talk this way? The world becomes smaller every day so what do books have to offer.

 

You made sense to me!

That's what I mean. Books have that power to let you question your beliefs, but what do you take away from fiction? Books of history do help, those are real, but are fictitious stories just as real where their effect is concerned or do we subconsciously treat them any differently?

 

I've undergone that same kind of fear, 1984 is the best example. The thought that everything we have taken for granted like innocent love can be ripped away from us and wiped away from our minds is really horrifying. I find such books scarier than anything Stephen King writes.

 

Your thoughts about the death penalty seem interesting. How would you say you're feeling strongly about it now compared to before? You mean you're more adamant in your stance against it now than you were earlier? Was that because you sympathized with the character? I'm curious from a writer's point of view here now.

 

As to your thoughts, yes I see how change can be tiny. But isn't that all that's needed? If we can, to use Julie's example, make one racist question his character just a tiny bit, wouldn't that increase with rereads?

Racism always shocks me as well, and unfortunately even in these so-called enlightened times, it is still very prevalent. Homophobia is another thing that I have witnessed friends of mine suffering, and it shocks me. Sometimes I wonder if we are going forwards or backwards in our thinking! I love your attitude Vinay; my husband's best friend is Muslim - and he is also one of my closest friends. He come to our house every Friday night, and while he doesn't personally drink alcohol, he would never object to us having a drink in front of him. Similarly, he doesn't object to us eating pork or bacon when he is there, although we never would do, out of respect to his beliefs.

 

I know what you mean - when we can communicate about such things despite being phsysically thousands of miles away from each other, what do books mean, and what can they teach us? I suppose though, that if we didn't have books to raise questions in our minds, we might not be discussing such things with each other. To me, books are often the key that opens the door to a subject. They raise my interest, which leads me to find out more.

 

As for fiction - I think they can be just as useful as factual books, because they can make a subject more interesting. I never had any interest in say, the Tudor period in England, until I read Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels. While I appreciate that her work is heavily fictionalised, it does have a basis in fact, and reading those books made me look for more information about the period, because they are written in a more 'readable' way. Also, the dystopian novels like 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale (also, The Road - a book I loved and found intensely disturbing) make me think a LOT about the way the world could go. Like you, those kind of books scare me more than any book about ghosts or monsters. I love Stephen Kings books, but they don't scare me, because I simply don't believe that those kinds of things could happen.

 

With regard to my thoughts on the death penalty...before I read that book, I didn't have a strong belief either way. If someone had have asked me my thoughts on it, I would have said that I was probably against it, but wouldn't have given the subject much thought. The book discussed the whole issue in much more serious detail though (it was a factual book, although the film based on it was a fictionalised account). The book really made me look at my feelings and examine them, and think about precisely WHY I am against it. I didn't really sympathise with the character (in the book, there were two men on Death Row who Sister Prejean befriended, but in the film there was only one). It is made clear to the reader that there is no question of guilt - they ARE guilty. So it's not a case for me of a potentially innocent man being executed. I'm against it for several reasons, which may be the subject for another thread(!) I am relieved that it is not an option where I live, and hope that it never will be.

 

Re your last point: tiny change is still a step in the right direction, like you say. If a book - any book - can make a bigot question their beliefs, that can only be a good thing.

 

Thank you for starting this thread It's very interesting to read and participate in.

[vinay87]

If I remember A Fine Balance correctly, there were many issues there (if the book follows truth ) ,of racism or maybe it would be more accurate to call it persecution or segregation ., although maybe that wouldn't be the term for it there . I call it SHELVES .It seems there are many religions, many customs and beliefs ,and people are on different shelves because of that. Is the book accurate in that respect ?

It's a fascinating country to learn about . I have a Dr from there ,and my favorite x-ray ultrasound lady is also from there. She is the sweetest person I have ever met .I have found from talking to her that your country seems to feel that education is one of the greatest gifts a person can have . It is refreshing to talk to someone like that who feels so very lucky to have come here and both her kids are in college to become doctors,so she is very proud of them .

Well, people see racism differently here. I've never experienced it, because I live in a metropolitan city, or a tier 1 city as it is called hereabouts. Yes, people are segregated a lot here. I don't remember much of the book, since I was 13 when I read it, but I will add it to my wishlist/tbr for this year and get it ASAP and I'll get back to you on that later.

 

Yes, education is deemed the most important thing here. It's strange for a person to not get a college education here, and most choose Engineering or any science stream. Although don't get me started on the negative effects of that.

 

Racism always shocks me as well, and unfortunately even in these so-called enlightened times, it is still very prevalent. Homophobia is another thing that I have witnessed friends of mine suffering, and it shocks me. Sometimes I wonder if we are going forwards or backwards in our thinking! I love your attitude Vinay; my husband's best friend is Muslim - and he is also one of my closest friends. He come to our house every Friday night, and while he doesn't personally drink alcohol, he would never object to us having a drink in front of him. Similarly, he doesn't object to us eating pork or bacon when he is there, although we never would do, out of respect to his beliefs.

 

I know what you mean - when we can communicate about such things despite being phsysically thousands of miles away from each other, what do books mean, and what can they teach us? I suppose though, that if we didn't have books to raise questions in our minds, we might not be discussing such things with each other. To me, books are often the key that opens the door to a subject. They raise my interest, which leads me to find out more.

 

As for fiction - I think they can be just as useful as factual books, because they can make a subject more interesting. I never had any interest in say, the Tudor period in England, until I read Philippa Gregory's Tudor novels. While I appreciate that her work is heavily fictionalised, it does have a basis in fact, and reading those books made me look for more information about the period, because they are written in a more 'readable' way. Also, the dystopian novels like 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale (also, The Road - a book I loved and found intensely disturbing) make me think a LOT about the way the world could go. Like you, those kind of books scare me more than any book about ghosts or monsters. I love Stephen Kings books, but they don't scare me, because I simply don't believe that those kinds of things could happen.

 

With regard to my thoughts on the death penalty...before I read that book, I didn't have a strong belief either way. If someone had have asked me my thoughts on it, I would have said that I was probably against it, but wouldn't have given the subject much thought. The book discussed the whole issue in much more serious detail though (it was a factual book, although the film based on it was a fictionalised account). The book really made me look at my feelings and examine them, and think about precisely WHY I am against it. I didn't really sympathise with the character (in the book, there were two men on Death Row who Sister Prejean befriended, but in the film there was only one). It is made clear to the reader that there is no question of guilt - they ARE guilty. So it's not a case for me of a potentially innocent man being executed. I'm against it for several reasons, which may be the subject for another thread(!) I am relieved that it is not an option where I live, and hope that it never will be.

 

Re your last point: tiny change is still a step in the right direction, like you say. If a book - any book - can make a bigot question their beliefs, that can only be a good thing.

 

Thank you for starting this thread It's very interesting to read and participate in.

Homophobia! Funny you should mention that. India is a decade or so away from accepting homosexuals though. I'd expect my kids to bring home their gay friends and go "hush in front of dad, he's old fashioned." I don't have any opinion on homosexuals, pro or against though. I am not curious enough to wonder about it, though I do believe every person has a bit of a homosexual in him/her — I know there's a scale of a sort for this, I read about it but I can't remember the name right now. It's too early for India and homosexuality imo. But then again, it could be that I'm already growing senile and prejudiced at 25.

 

I've been wondering about this for a while, especially since as kids we were encouraged to find the "moral of a story" to take to our hearts. Gibbon's book really made me think why the Romans didn't learn from their mistakes. Even when their leaders were educated people. That's why I began thinking about this.

Guess the fact that the question popped in from reading answers my question in the first place. Still, I'd like to hear any one else's opinion on the matter.

[Gad786]

I don't always learn the lessons from books because I don't know if there always are.But I guess most of the time I do see the bigger picture.