The comfort of books
In times of stress, some people turn to comfort food; I turn to books. Books don’t have any calories and they give us comfort food for thought.
This weekend, in the aftermath of Friday night’s horror in Paris, BuzzFeed Books’ Lincoln Thompson offers “31 Books That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity.” It is very difficult to comprehend how human beings can murder, maim and terrorize in the name of religion, but I believe the article’s title is overwrought. After all, much of the killing throughout human history has been done in the name of religion. My faith in humanity doesn’t need to be restored but all of us can use some bolstering.
The following is a partial list of the books recommended to bolster your faith in the goodness of humanity. All 31 titles and their descriptions can be found here, on the BuzzFeedBooks site.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist by Ruchama King Feuerman
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
On Writing by Stephen King
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
