“Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood.”
This quote is by author John Green. Reading well written books is a special gift we can give to ourselves. Although what each person considers to be well written is somewhat subjective and each of us has preferences about what we choose to read, there are clearly books that have stood the test of time, that have received positive reviews from several reviewers, that are required reading for secondary and post-secondary literature classes, that were written by authors who have received awards for their writing, and that in other ways are considered to be the great books to which Green refers.
Green saying that books help us understand is shown in many ways. The characters in novels help us to learn much about human nature. The ways the characters interact with each other, think about things, deal with challenges, make decisions, and feel and express emotions reflect those aspects of many people’s lives. Through reading, we can learn much about psychology and that helps us to better understand others, to be more accepting, and to be more empathic.
The setting of each novel gives us an idea of what it would have been like to live in places and during times other than those with which we are familiar. I especially like historical fiction because, in addition to enjoying the plot and characters of a story, I learn more about the events that took place in that era as well as about the day-to-day situations of people who lived at that time. In these ways, reading great literature expands our experiences and knowledge.
Green’s observation that great books help us to feel understood also fits with my experience. We can often relate to characters in novels, to their reactions to whatever is happening, to their emotions, to their goals and their hopes. When the personality of a character reminds us of ourselves, or at least ourselves in certain situations, we do feel more understood. When a character goes through a certain experience similar to something we’ve experienced, we also feel more understood. Such similarities are ways of showing that “we’re all in this together.”
By reading great books, or listening to the audio versions of them, I’ve been able to have a sense of what it is like to live in large cities, small towns, and the wilderness; to be a parent to many children or to none; to live in Paris in the 18th century, Kenya in the 1800s, and New York City in the recent past; to be wealthy and to be poor.
None of these describe my situation in present reality. But through reading quality books written by creative and talented authors I have a better idea of what other people’s lives were like in the past and are like in the present. Reading has definitely helped me to understand and to feel understood, and has added much that matters to my life.