Empathy 101: Storytelling
A good book has been a saving grace in these times of unrest and seclusion. As our black community is crying out for equity, equality, and change, we are working to support and educate ourselves and our community. For us, travel is first and foremost an avenue to learn from other cultures and better understand ourselves. Lucky for us, books and storytelling can help us sooth that longing for exploration, build empathy for people who experience things we will never endure, and deepen our connection to those outside our typical circle.
“Why did people ask "What is it about?" as if a novel had to be about only one thing.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah
For the past several years, R.O. Kwon of Electric Literature gifted us a brilliant list of books written by women and non-binary writers of color. This year’s list affords us endless opportunities to expand our horizons and adventure during our time of isolation.
“For this short while, I want to forget about trepidation. Instead, I want to celebrate these 55 novels, collections, and memoirs.”
What we’re currently reading:
In addition to educational books such as How to Be an Antiracist and Between the World and Me, we have also found great insights in the these stories:
Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.
The first time Isabel meets her father-in-law, Omar, he’s already dead—an apparition appearing uninvited on her wedding day. Her husband, Martin, still unforgiving for having been abandoned by his father years ago, confesses that he never knew the old man had died. So Omar asks Isabel for the impossible: persuade Omar’s family—especially his wife, Elda—to let him redeem himself.
Isabel and Martin settle into married life in a Texas border town, and Omar returns each year on the celebratory Day of the Dead. Every year Isabel listens, but to the aggrieved Martin and Elda, Omar’s spirit remains invisible. Through his visits, Isabel gains insight into not just the truth about his disappearance and her husband’s childhood but also the ways grief can eat away at love. When Martin’s teenage nephew crosses the Mexican border and takes refuge in Isabel and Martin’s home, questions about past and future homes, borders, and belonging arise that may finally lead to forgiveness—and alter all their lives forever.