I’ve just finished reading for the I don’t know how many-th time Joanna Bourne’s Spymasters series. And, somewhat startlingly, they seemed to speak very clearly to our current era. Not only was there the whole French Revolution context which seems relevant to me, but almost every love affair in the books features a couple who begins on opposite sides of an issue.
So, as I read I kept imagining certain gazillionaires muttering to themselves as they boarded their five hundred million dollar yachts, “Let them eat cake.” I pictured all those who are absolutist in their beliefs that they know absolutely what is right for the masse. I worried about a coming revolution.
But I also found solace in the way Bourne’s lovers learn to respect and understand the views of those who see the world differently. Her leads ask each other questions rather than harangue one another or storm out of the room (or country.) They are remarkably forgiving of others’ pasts and mistakes. I resolved to keep Justine and Hawk in mind as the holidays come and I will spend time with those who see the world differently than I do.
This verisimilitude of reality is one of the very best things about reading fiction. It enables us to see views other than our own and to expand our knowledge of the world. It breaks my heart when people dismiss reading stories–it is through the telling of stories that we can best understand others.
Have you read anything that has helped you make sense of your/the world? If so, why? And please share titles–I’m always looking for books to learn from.
Right now I can’t say any books are helping me make sense of our world, although some help me escape it for a while.
I spent a lot of my reading/listening time last winter and spring returning to my favorite books. This summer I almost stopped reading at all. I couldn’t stay focused, even on new books by authors I love. I’m getting out of my reading slump a bit now but I’m picking my books carefully- not too angsty, minimal anger issues like dealing with awful families, but also not too fluffy or I just lose interest. I’ve DNF more books in the past few months than I usually do in an entire year.
I’ve focused more on expanding my work at the equine therapy barn. I’m there at least three or four days a week, doing volunteer and paid work. Right now it’s the thing that keeps me sane because it gives me focus and purpose, plus it can be physically demanding so I usually sleep well on days I go there. At the barn I work with people who probably represent a spectrum of political beliefs, but we focus on the horses, the riders, the mental health clients, etc. We’re all there to be of use to a population that needs these services. That’s where I can find solace.
I agree with Carrie G. that fiction typically doesn’t help me make sense of the world, but it does help me escape it. I would say my two exceptions this year (so far) are: Daughter of Shiloh. Seeing people act with dignity and grace when that is not how the world treats them, watching a community pull together during tough times, seeing love blossom amidst tragedy – that all helped me have hope for the future. The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller was incredibly heavy, but it also served as a poignant reminder that people can come together and find love and joy even during the most challenging times.
Something completely divorced from reality, like Too Old for This by Samantha Downing is good too. It was dark, edgy, and somehow managed to be funny in a macabre sort of way.
The fan fic Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love was a terrific way to escape to a favorite world and get a fresh, new look at it. I enjoyed Axie Oh’s XO and ASAP, K-pop romances light on reality but rich in fun. I tore through Kelly Armstrong’s Rip in Time series.
I find that reading non-fiction also helps me to wrap my head around a world seemingly gone mad. I recently finished Stolen Pride by Arlie Russell Hochschild. Interesting read, nothing ground breaking but it helped me understand the people around me a bit better.
For a current freelance job, I’ve been writing book blurbs for George Orwell’s entire output – fiction, poetry and non-fiction. In order to do that, I’ve read a lot of background information – all I can say that much of what he wrote was incredibly prescient and very relevant today. Is it helping me make sense of the world as it is right now? I’m not sure – I try to stay abreast of current affairs for that. But it is absolutely fascinating to see the extent to which some things haven’t changed in the eighty-plus years since he was writing. Plus ça change…
I cannot believe how often I think of “Animal Farm” and less often, “1984.” Because Orwell witnessed fascism, personally, he learned and later taught its techniques, including an unaware public that ignorantly accepts leaders’ lies and manipulation. Including Shakespeare, I can’t think of any literature that is more applicable today.
I cannot bear rereading Orwell, but stick to romances that offer optimism and idealism.
Honestly, I have never stopped thinking about Animal Farm. It’s always relevant.
His experience during the Spanish Civil War taught him how totalitarism worked in both sides of the political spectrum, not only fascism but also Stalinism. As a matter of fact, Animal Farm is more a satire against Stalin than any fascism leader.
Caz, have you read Anna Funder’s novel Wifedom? Among other things, it’s about George Orwell’s wife. It’s been super-popular here in Australia but may not have much much traction in the UK. Recommended!
I can’t believe it! Amazon does not carry Wifedom, but instead offers a study guide and summary.
It’s available in the US here.
Hi Linda, and thanks Dabney, it’s a bit spenny I’m sorry, see how you go with the sample if you can see it?
I haven’t read it, but I understand Sinclair Lewis’ social satire, It Can’t Happen Here, is pretty prescient as well.
Congratulations on rereading my favourite book, TSL, and a top 5 romance book, RS for the umpteenth time.
Space Viking, a 1963 SF novel by by H. Beam Piper, keeps coming to mind. A part of the book is about a civilization falling because of exploitation of weaknesses in its democratic institutions by authoritarians.
Another book that I read recently that is also helping me think about our times is The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow.
Just joining the Bourne Spymaster Series chorus!
Also, not long ago I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut’s short piece “Harrison Bergeron.” May not be as well-known as some of Orwell’s work, still…
I’m not sure anything actually makes sense of all the anger, but I keep turning to books about the fall of the Roman republic. I’m currently reading Robert Harris’s trilogy about Cicero, but there’s also Colleen McCullough’ Masters of Rome series and, a bit lighter, John Maddox Roberts’ SPQR series of mysteries.
In my more depressed moments, I feel as if instead of Julius Caesar’s time, we’re at the end of the 4th century and Alaric and the Visigoths are at the gates.
I’ve given up trying to “make sense” of the world. Over the weekend, someone got on a London-bound train and stabbed 10 or more passengers with one victim in a critical but stable condition. A man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder and various other crimes. All of this on a train where you are in an enclosed environment with someone, possibly mentally ill, attempting to kill innocent passengers en route to London early on a Saturday evening and no escape possible. Fortunately, the train driver made some excellent decisions about where to bring the train to a stop so immediate help could be on hand. Ex-military, that driver, we hear today; what a hero along with the very ill man who is a train employee. Make sense of that? No, I cannot imagine anything I could read right now would help with that. For me, a dive into one of my authors is the usual instinctive reaction. Right now it is the latest Lincoln Lawyer book, just letting the story wash over me. But nothing washes out the evilness everywhere, in many forms and persuasions.
I find that I just look for the corresponding good and focus on that. The media inundates us with endless stories of the bad–I seek out more stories with the good.