Teach Your Children About Empathy With These Old Fashioned Books
I started flipping through the books chapter by chapter almost as soon as I learned to read, and I distinctly remember a few “a-ha” moments as I immersed myself in these novels. These moments happened when I was reading about experiences I never had and people I never knew (I grew up in a pretty uniform bubble – many white Christians).
Various studies and articles have debated over the years whether reading fiction can increase a person’s empathy. In one of the most cited, published in 2013 in the journal Science , researchers focused on whether the type of fiction matters. His findings? In the short term, reading fiction can improve readers’ ability to capture and understand the emotions of others. (Nonfiction, romance, horror, and science fiction, not much.)
In particular, I remember how these old school books (published in the 1980s or earlier and straight from my own bookshelves) featured exciting stories that can help expand a child’s empathy:
Thunder Clap, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.
Our narrator, 9-year-old Cassie Logan, lives with her family in southern Mississippi during the Great Depression. Her story is about both the big, wide, and the small, poignant racism faced by her family and other blacks in the area: Cassie’s class uses schoolbooks thrown by white students, and she is not allowed to enter the department store whose owner carries responsibility for what happened. Mr. Berry, badly burnt and dumb. Assertive Cassie is as outgoing as any girl, fights with her siblings and reports to her parents, but her circumstances highlight the importance of love and acceptance.
My Brother is Special by Maureen Crane Wartsky
Noni Harlow is in eighth grade and is very proud when she wins the ribbon in the 100 yards. She thinks that maybe her brother Kip would like to win something too, so she signs him up for Special Olympics. The story is sweet and powerful; Noni’s parents argue about what is best for Kip, while Noni wants to do everything in her power to help. Keep in mind: The 1979 release date means that the word “retarded” is used widely, which is more than frustrating, but can be used as an opportunity to talk about how language and what is considered offensive change over time.
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle.
Perhaps your child saw last year’s movie starring Reese Witherspoon. It doesn’t count. In L’Engle’s novel, many believe that younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb and not too smart because he speaks so little to others. He and his older sister, Meg, have the kind of bond that parents wish for their children, and the two face colossal cosmic obstacles with courage and grace in their search for a father who is lost somewhere in the universe.
While We’re Together, Judy Blum.
Seventh graders Stephanie and Rachel are best friends, but smart Rachel seems to be drifting away. She gets angrier and doesn’t seem to like Stephanie’s new quirky girlfriend, Alison. There are cute boys, adversity, and a father who doesn’t seem to live at home anymore, giving Stephanie problems that are both connected and, for her, the worst possible thing.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.
It seems like a dream come true: the members of the Takov family have eternal life. Wynne Foster thinks it would be great, of course, but Taxis explain why a blessing is more like a curse and how they get the most out of it.
Life has to be lived, no matter how long or short … You have to accept what comes. We just walk together, like everyone else, one day after day. It’s funny – we don’t feel anything … Sometimes I forget what happened to us, I forget completely. And then sometimes it comes to me, and I wonder why it happened to us . We are as simple as salt … However, it is useless to try to understand why everything collapses the way it does. Things are just there, but vanity does not bring changes.
“Separate World” by John Knowles.
Seeking a male point of view (my favorite books were girls’ favorites), I asked my husband which books taught him empathy when he was young. I came to Separate World as an adult, but as a boy the book had a huge impact on my husband. Gene and Finny are best friends, but the nuances of their relationship teach that people can have two opinions about something: Gene both loves Finny and is unusually jealous of him, and he learns in a terrible way that we need to look beyond our own. personal desires and must value their own talents.
Another empathy tip: While your kids are reading, check them out from time to time. Ask what they are learning and how they feel about the characters’ experience. Who does your child sympathize with in the story? Why? If you are reading too, keep track of your child’s progress in club-style (although perhaps swap out red wine for apple juice).