The Power of Story
November 26th, 2008 by Michelle
I suppose the key to this is accessibility. A recent study, reported in the Daily Telegraph, has made the claim that novels are far better at explaining the world’s problems than reports. I have always found this to be true, personally.
I would never have known much about forces that shaped modern-day Nigeria without reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, I would never have had the faintest clue about or possibily even interest in the Georgian / Regency period without Jane Austen, and I would not have the understanding of Victorian London without Charles Dickens.
But on to more modern times, the report talks about The Kite Runner being the most useful text for educating large numbers of people about conditions under the Taliban in Afgahnistan, Brick Lane by Moncia Ali as opening people’s eyes and understanding to what it meant to be an immigrant to the UK, and many other examples.
It makes perfect sense to me. Give someone a narrative, a person or group of people to root for, and throw in some compelling action or drama, and we pay a lot more attention. As long as the writers have got most of their facts straight, the act of stepping into a character’s shoes – as authors do – and following their journey, portraying the reactions and actions of others, readers are able to empathise with a situation far more than if they had read a factual report on the same subject.
Can you think of a great example of a book that has educated us far more than any factual report could have done on a modern situation or problem?
PS: Talking about the power of story, Zoe Winters has just released her free ebook Kept, and Karin Tabke’s Master of Torment was released today. Congratulations, both of you!
14 Responses to “The Power of Story”
Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steve Hassan wins hands down for me. When you hear stories about cults and how they get people to join, it’s not as simple as the news reports make it out to be. If you really want to get into the mind of a person who’s been in the cult trenches, this is a fancinating book to read. Scary, too.
DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE: A MEMOIR OF WAR, DISASTERS, AND SURVIVAL by Anderson Cooper made me feel so much, especially about Katrina and the aftermath. And about him, of course. He’s had an amazing life and he’s an amazing man.
Marcia, that sounds interesting!
Thanks for the shout out, Michelle!
The trick is for the author to make sure their facts are right. I’ve read books where liberties were taken with the facts and as a result, I came away with a skewed impression of what really happened.
Trying to think of examples of books I’ve read where I’ve learned a lot about an era and, of course, am coming up blank. There was one where it was a time travel where the heroine was accidently sent back to England during the Black Plague. It make for fascinating reading.
I can think of so many that I’ve read, too numerous to list. For sake of limited space, author John Jakes comes to mind. His novels are deeply rooted in American history, which makes it more palatable for densely me.
Great blog piece, Michelle. And now I have a few more books to add to my TBR pile – maybe they’ll make great gift requests.
The wonderful thing about a novel (or sometimes, even, a movie) is it can put you in someone else’s shoes, to experience the situation as they would, through their eyes.
I’ve learned more about the world and history through fiction than non-fiction, for sure!
GREAT post, Michelle!
Michelle, love your blog! The movie Rawanda made a deep impression on me, and the book, Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza and her surviving that horiffic holocaust was a very close and personal view. Combined, I walked away with an understanding that the news doesn’t begin to touch the stories around us. We see what they want us to, and the rest is left up to survivors to tell through books or movies.
I’m drawn to Africa and Australian history, and usually nab those books.
First off, apologies for the late reply. My internet went down for a while there. Marcia, I’ve always been interested in why people join cults. Thanks for the recommendation.
I remember you’ve mentioned this book before, Edie. I really must get it, thanks!
Pleasure, Zoe, hope it is going well.
Liz, I don’t mind if factual liberties are taken, as long as that’s explained in the author’s note. What works for me is focusing on the individual.
And maybe you’re thinking of Connie Willis’s The Doomsday Book. I think her research in that book was excellent.
Kath, I love reading fiction that clears the mind and helps me understand. Often, when I’m researching historical periods, I wish for a fictional book that would just orientate me before diving into the hefty tomes. I don’t mind some historical inaccuracies, just give me the general lay of the land and major players, and I can find out the rest for myself.
Often I have to read a reference book a couple of times to finally see the light. I’ll read them all, then start reading them again, and its like a light goes on and I begin to see the really big picture. But so time consuming!
Thanks, Spy. Yes, that’s how it works for me. I need someone specific to think about. That makes it real and personal, even if they are fictional.
LaD, I read a book called The Good Women of China, stories of indivual women, and the woman who wrote the book. I think about that book every time I hear China mentioned. Another great book was Holy Cow, a book I reviewed a long time ago on MM, about India. Fascinating insight.