8 Books That Can Help You Build Empathy
The first time a toddler flips through The Snowy Day or a teen picks up Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, they’re transported to the inner life of another human being. They learn to understand the emotions and challenges that someone else—someone who may be very different from them—is going through. And studies have shown that building empathy for others can help boost our own relationships and positivity.
Reading—literary fiction, in particular—is one of the most powerful tools we have for developing empathy. And that ability to see things through someone else’s eyes is more important than ever, as the country reels from the hurtful effects of centuries of racial injustice and the isolating effects of the COVID-19 crisis. Here, the Happify team shares the books that helped them see the world in a more compassionate way.
1. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah
At just 12 years old, Beah fled his home in Sierra Leone when rebels attacked his village and killed his parents and brother. After wandering the countryside, he was coerced into the life of a child soldier. Beah, who wrote this memoir at age 25, has dedicated his life to helping children in war zones. His heartbreaking story represents just one of the millions of children around the globe forced into unthinkable acts.
Why it resonated with me: “This book left my son and me feeling thankful for everything we have in life and started several conversations regarding the lives of kids in different areas of the world.”— Kirsten O’Reilly, Executive Assistant
2. Reasons to Stay Alive, by Matt Haig
This memoir is an intimate, day-to-day account of what it’s like to live with depression, and how the author eventually found peace with the help his wife and family—and from reading plenty of books. It gives an honest and ultimately uplifting view of a disease that millions of Americans struggle with every day.
Why it resonated with me: “This book is really raw and gives an honest insight about what it is like to be suffering with depression. This felt both comforting, to know I wasn't alone, but also gave me insight into how someone is thinking and feeling when they are in a deep depression and suicidal.”— Amanda Woodward, Research Consultant
3. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson
Set in rural Kentucky during the Great Depression, this novel explores the lives of a group of people with a genetic disorder that causes their skin to appear blue (this was a real-life condition found in several Appalachian families). Cussy Mary Carter, a traveling librarian with blue-tinged skin, brings hope and connection to a community that has to first overcome their fear of the unknown.
Why it resonated with me: “It's a story about the painful forms of discrimination we are familiar with, but introduces a new group that was ostracized and lived a solitary and lonely existence in Appalachia. The book shines a light on America's impoverished children and the devastation of death by starvation. As dire as this all is, the main character, a strong, young woman, perseveres, but not without enduring tragedy along the way.”—Heidi Judge, Clinical Research Manager
4. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, by Art Spiegelman
In this Pulitzer Prize–winning graphic novel, Spiegelman attempts to capture his family’s history by interviewing his father, Vladek, a Polish Jew who had survived Auschwitz, about his experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust. Jews are depicted as mice, Germans as cats, and Poles as pigs. It’s a devastating and compelling visual tale about a son trying to understand his father’s life.
Why it resonated with me: “Maus is a raw and harrowing tale of a man and a family fractured by war and deprivation, haunted by memories and guilt, and how the events of the past are felt in the present. This deep dive into one family’s story, even with the animal depictions, gave me a clearer understanding of the concept of generational trauma—how the ripples of such unimaginable suffering can be felt through a lifetime and also affect generations.”—Sharon Boone, Editor & Writer
5. Educated, by Tara Westover
In this bestselling memoir, Westover recounts her improbable journey from an impoverished childhood in a survivalist family, where she was never allowed to set foot in a classroom, all the way to earning a doctorate from Cambridge University.
Why it resonated with me: “I found this book heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. Tara fought so hard to pursue her education, and despite her terrible upbringing and the abuse of her family, she persevered.”— Kirsten O’Reilly, Executive Assistant
6. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel
This graphic memoir by cartoonist Alison Bechdel tells the story of her fractured childhood—she grew up in a funeral home (the “fun home” of the title), with a difficult and demanding father who was hiding deep secrets from his family, all the while struggling to feel comfortable in her own skin. When she finally comes out to her parents as lesbian during college, she discovers that her father is also gay. The book was later adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.
Why it resonated with me: “I remember being so immersed in this memoir that I read the entire thing in one sitting. It reminded me of how tough our teen years can be, particularly if we feel “different” from everyone else, and how exquisitely sensitive some of us are to the family dynamics around us.”—Tiffany Sun, Head of Content
7. The Little Big Things, by Henry Fraser
While on holiday in Portugal at age 17, Fraser had a devastating accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Faced with unimaginable challenges, he decides to move forward with optimism and hope, becoming an accomplished artist (by holding the brush between his teeth) and motivational speaker. In this memoir, he shares his thoughts on how to find the positives in life and how to deal with the inevitable darkness.
Why it resonated with me: “Henry is an incredible person, and his strength, determination, and positivity in the face of adversity shine through in this book.”— Amanda Woodward, Research Consultant
8. The Sun Does Shine, by Anthony Ray Hinton (with Lara Love Hardin)
Hinton recounts the nearly 30 years he spent on death row in Alabama for a murder he didn’t commit. Civil rights lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson worked for more than 15 years to help Hinton prove his innocence. During that time, Hinton, who is black, revealed that he had wholeheartedly forgiven the racist prosecutor, bailiffs, jury, and judges who took the best years of his life away.
Why it resonated with me: “This was a glimpse into the life of someone who was utterly failed by the criminal justice system for decades, yet led with forgiveness and never gave up hope. I feel so humbled to have read his story.”—Tiffany Sun, Head of Content
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