Reading opens up our world and helps reinforce the idea that we don't know it all, and that it's ok that we don't know everything. When we read a variety of perspectives or books that challenge long-held ideas and force us to defend or even adjust our world-view, we grow as individuals and as citizens. We learn that answers are not easy and the world is complicated and even the smartest people don't have all of the answers and sometimes get it wrong.
Looking for meaningful, quality reading selections during this historical period of isolation with no idea where to start? Here are five timely suggestions:
But lately I've been feeling a little like the future imagined in some of my favorite dystopian stories are hitting a little too close to home. I try to convince myself that I'm being hyperbolic, that two plus two is still four, that books are still being read and are powerful, that we are still a free people allowed to make our own decisions and living in a country where outside dangers are statistically few and far between. I understand that we are all human and have to live with the decisions of others and that I can only do so much.
As parents we are frequently told about the importance of reading aloud to our children. It's not just important to developing early literacy skills, it also can have a significant impact on behavior and empathy. But it doesn't have to stop once they are able to break out the chapter books and read to themselves. While studies and experts agree that there are additional benefits to reading to older children, including increasing fluency, vocabulary, and overall reading success, reading aloud to our big kids goes beyond academics.
Listening to audiobooks hasn't replaced our family's love for the written word; it has enhanced it.
Accepting the Unexpected Journey 