Open Your Heart and Mind to Your Neighbors

During the month of April, much is made about protecting the environment and what we can do to protect the earth from humankind. One way I think we can protect our world is by opening our minds and hearts to other cultures and traditions that may make us shake our heads, question or wonder about in awe. There are so many people struggling with the same issues we are in different ways, and I think reading books about these different cultures is a wonderful way to begin to open your mind to what lies outside your door…or someone, if you’re like my daughter, you may connect with online. The world is shrinking thanks to the Internet, and it’s time to start opening our eyes to how other people see and do everyday living. While non-fiction abounds on learning about various cultures, I find that I remember and am more touched by fictional accounts of lives set in culturally correct settings.

A book I picked up at the library many years ago and was so struck by that I went out and bought my own copy so I could one day share it with my daughters is All the Way Home by Ann Tatlock. It is a story about two young girls each seeking a sense of belonging in worlds where neither feels she belongs. In forging a childhood friendship that is torn apart, they are later reunited as adults and find that they are still both looking for that place. It is a truly touching and moving story that will make you stop and look around at the culture you live in and how popular beliefs shape who we are.

Another fun story, set partly in New York, but mostly in China, is Repeat After Me, by Rachel DeWoskin. This book is set in the not so distant past…think pre- and post-9/11 New York and modern day China. It tells the tale of a young woman as she sets out to discover who she is after several life-changing events happen. Struggling to belong and make a new start is hard enough in a culture you are familiar with, but she goes to China and finds friendships along the way that will guide her on her journey.

My final recommendation comes from a book I found while looking over my daughter’s high school summer reading list… The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. This is a small book and a quick read. It tells such a touching story of a single mom struggling to make ends meet and do the best for her young son, and an elderly man who was once revered by many in the academic field, but now, because of a stroke, struggles with his day-to-day existence. You will not walk away from this book unaffected.

Go to the library, my personal favorite place, and learn about someone or something new…there are so many possibilities waiting for you, all you have to do is pick the culture you are interested in. From China to India, the Holocaust to the Great Depression, African Kings to Greek gods, if you seek, you will find a tale or two that will enrich and open your mind to the great world we live in and our children will inherit. What will you discover?