Hello all!
I am looking for books that will open my father’s mind to other walks of life and help him empathize with people that don’t look or think like him. He is an older boomer white man that sees the world as “my life is good why worry about others”. He also gets defensive when I say that being white is a privilege if that gives you a sense of where he’s at. He’s gotten into reading and was looking for something that may be mind opening, without being too obvious. Thank you in advance.
by aportano
8 Comments
I wonder if House in the Cerulean Sea might be a good introduction to empathy.
I’m reading The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah. It’s about migrants escaping the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. I’m not sure if this was the author’s intent but I keep drawing parallels between their experience and that of today’s migrants who are being constantly demonized. It may foster some empathy.
I mean it’s pretty obvious and on the nose but what comes to mind is My Grandmothers Hands- maybe you could share parts with him or read it together? There are a lot of exercises he can try if he’s open to it. It’s a really empathetic read but it’s definitely confronting for white folks
What DOES he care about— even if it seems selfish this may help us recommend books.
Haha. Good luck.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott (narrative non-fiction; won the Pulitzer but is super accessible); Evicted by Matthew Desmond (also narrative non-fiction).
Basic Economics by Thomas sowell. It’s written by an African American brilliant economist. I’m sure he will find much he can discuss with you after reading it.