Ten (or more) books you’d be a Fool not to read if you want to become a better human being.

BySophie
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Hi friends,

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Today’s theme is: Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read (Happy April Fool’s Day! In honor of this silly holiday, share the books you think people must read for whatever reason. 

I chose books that people should read to become better human beings.

What these books have in common is that they are eye opening about the characters journey for being “different” than the norm or for being born in a country at war or from a gender that is repeatedly undermined and bullied. And one book will also invite the reader to realize that banning books, uneducating people, brainwashing them with falsehood about the bible and whatnot is a surefire way to control and manipulate people. It impoverishes a culture and drives a whole nation backward.

I think in these times of misinformation, division, hoax and false rumors, in these times of images created with the help of artificial intelligence and seeing the banning of books in some countries, it is of the utmost importance to resist, to MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND and read what you want and then, process and FORM YOUR OWN INFORMED OPINION.

We only fear what and who we don’t know. So let’s read about who or what seems so frightening, let’s walk into these characters shoes and you will see that, at the end of the day, we are all the same: human.

So let’s get to it!

Books about being “different” than the norm

Puddle Jumping by Amber L Johnson is about autism, Birthday by Meredith Russo is heartbreaking and talks about transgender, Radio Silence by Alice Oseman is about different sexual identity (gay, bi or asexuality), A Quite Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnar is about social anxiety and the Silver Cage is about forbidden and repressed homosexuality.

Books about cultural and race differences linked to immigration

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh is shattering. You will never look at Syrian refugees the same way! A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi is about prejudice and associating every muslim with terrorism. And The Radius of Us is about immogration in the US from Center and South America. What all these books do is make us see people instead of statistics.

Books about racism and abuse

I reckon that these books could also have been put into the category about immigration but they put the spotlight even more about racism and prejudice once you are in a community of “white people”. All my Rage by Sabaa Tahir talks about integration to the point of renouncing your own culture for fear of repreasals. The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho is not only about racism but it’s also about grief and about witch hunts on social media. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas…well I don’t think I need to talk about that famous one.

Book about banned books

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kristen Miller is an amazing story about why banning books is not only detrimental to a community but also ridiculous. Might I remind you that it was also what Hitler and the Nazis did to control German’s opininon and steer hatred towards Jews, Gay, Roms etc?

Well formed minds, enlightened minds will make a population stronger, able of empathy towards differences and more able to face the future that lies ahead.

Have you read any of these books?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie

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30 Comments

  1. What a great list, Sophie! I really like that you chose to to highlight these books and the reason behind your choices. I think of The Hate U Give often these days. I’ve always felt that one should be required reading in the U.S. I haven’t read any of the others on your list, but I will look for them. I hope to read Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books soon, even if it doesn’t win my TBR poll for the month. It’s one I am really looking forward to.

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  6. I have a couple of these books on my TBR! As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow and Radio Silence! Thank you for sharing hope you have a wonderful week :)

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  8. I’m a very big sff reader and struggle moodwise with not sff reads. But some day I will probably have most of these or similar books because I do realize how important they are.

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  10. I haven’t read any of these, but I do recognize some as books I read about way back in the day. I feel as though so many readers love Tahereh Mafi’s books and I think I had read about some of the books by her off and on through the years. Glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks so much for visiting my list today. I appreciate this. :)

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  11. Oh excellent take on this week’s topic! I have read a couple of these and I need to read more. I’m not American so book banning or attempts to book ban aren’t quite as prevalent here but it’s not to say that they don’t exist and I’ve noticed a creeping increase in that sort of activity or rhetoric that we need to protect children from this book or that book and that for some reason, banning it entirely is the only way to do that.

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  12. As I read your intro, I knew Lula Dean had to be on your list. I agree, it is one that I have been recommending lately. It says it is a satire, but it could have been a nonfiction story in my eyes. The Hate You Give is the only other book I read on your list, and I loved it as well. I will have to check out some of the others.

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