Young Adult Literature Improving Empathy in Readers

            The article “Reading Fiction ‘Improves Empathy’ Study Finds” by Alison Flood discusses the idea that many young adult books can improve the way that teens think about life and valuable lessons. She focuses on both the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The article explains how books can allow for readers to enter an alternate world where they don’t need to worry about what others will think. “Books provide the opportunity for social connection and the blissful calm that comes from becoming a part of something larger that oneself for a precious fleeting moment.” Additionally, the article brings up the idea that reading a book can allow for a reader to experience and understand topics from a perspective that they had never been exposed to before. “In fiction, also, we are able to understand characters’ actions from their interior point of view, by entering into their situations and minds rather than the more exterior view of them that we usually have.” She concludes the article by discussing the fact that empathy is a very important part of society and that fiction reading can really change people and their outlook. “It is a result that shows that reading fiction improves understanding of others and this has a very basic importance in society, not just in the general way of making that world a better place, but in specific areas such as politics, business, and education.”

            Alison Flood uses many craft moves throughout her article to help make the article more understandable and meaningful for readers. One thing that she does is that she focuses in on two specific pieces that really can allow the reader to pull out details instead of leaving the context too broad to understand. She also uses vocabulary that is very sweet and meaningful which makes reading the article a deeper experience. Some examples are, blissful, precious, submerge, and satisfaction. Lastly, the author uses a knowledgeable tone which lets the reader know that they are getting reliable information from someone who knows what they are talking about and that enjoys what they are doing.

            In conclusion, I completely agree with Alison Flood’s point of view. I honestly believe that reading a book can make you feel so many emotions. It can make you cry, smile, laugh, and overall, just think about your outlook on everything. I agree with the fact that reading is a private way for young adults to learn and understand topics in their own way and that it can be a method for getting through a hard time. This past week was a very hard week for me and I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do to make myself feel better about all the sadness around me. I had never really had to cope with a loss before, but I realized that it helped me personally to get lost in a book. Personally, I believe that reading can definitely improve empathy in young adults and make you feel ways that you never have before.

Positivity

Sometimes I get so built up with so many things good and bad going on around me. It can be hard to see the good things coming for you. It is always important to look forward to the future and stay positive, as hard as it may be. Where it Began by Ann Redish Stampler, is about Gabby, a teenage girl who is in a relationship with a boy named Billy Nash. Gabby gets drunk at a party, steals Billy’s car, and gets into a terrible accident. The book goes through Gabby’s journey of healing and dealing with her friends, family, and the police. I realized that it was very helpful and important for Gabby to stay positive through this tough time!

                During the time that Gabby spent in the hospital immediately after the accident, this theme became very important for her. Gabby hadn’t seen Billy since the night of the accident and she had to wait for a very long time before he was able to call her. She didn’t fill her mind with thoughts like, he hates me, he is hurt, or he wants nothing to do with me. She remembered all of the good memories that she had shared with him. It gets to a point where Gabby misses Billy so much that every night she dreams about him, and these small moments give her small things to hold onto and that give her hope. When Billy finally calls, it allows Gabby to continue thinking positively throughout the rest of them time in the hospital.

                Thinking positively also helped Gabby when she was released from the hospital.  Under doctors orders, Gabby must stay in bed and she isn’t allowed to leave her house unless it is to see a doctor. Billy isn’t allowed to see anyone either because he is under probation, so Gabby and Billy decide that it would be okay if the instant messaged each other every once in a while on their computers. These few moments of communication allow Gabby to keep thinking good thoughts until she was allowed to finally see Billy in person. When they finally meet each other again, the author describes Gabby’s heart as “trying to jump out of her body”. These descriptions make it clear that not only was Gabby thinking about all of their good moments together, but so was Billy Nash.

                On the other hand, there were some times in the book where Gabby was built up with so much emotion that she wasn’t able to keep bad thoughts from popping into her mind. Between the times that she was allowed to see Billy, even if it was only a few days, Gabby would say that it felt like centuries. She would think that maybe he gave up on her and their relationship and how he might not want to help her get out of this situation that they are in together. In the end, Gabby realizes that Billy is really there for her and it was just the little devil on her shoulder telling her to forget about Billy and take care of this herself.

                What I am really trying to say, is that it is really important to stay positive during a tough situation. There will be times where it is harder than others but it will allow you to keep your hopes up and it will make the situation just a bit easier. This is important because if you stay positive, you will be sending positive energy to not only yourself, but those around you. By doing this, you might make someone’s day just a bit better. One time that this applied to me was when I was preparing for my Bat Mitzvah. I had to learn so much information and memorize so many speeches that I thought that I was going to let everyone down and I wasn’t going to be able to finish everything. I had to take a step back and think about the actual meaning of everything that I was doing and I realized that it wasn’t to stress me out and make me worry about all of the bad things that could happen. This was really about learning and becoming more mature. This realization allowed me to enjoy my experience and it turned out that everything went how it was supposed to. “Once you start replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

                I just finished reading Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez. This book is about the story of Anita de la Torre, who is a twelve year old girl living in the Dominican Republic in 1960. Anita’s family has been involved in the assassination of their dictator, El Jefe. Most of Anita’s family leaves and moves to New York where they can live in safety. While reading this book, I recognized that nature comes up a lot. I think that nature symbolizes freedom and  how Anita and her family will end up in the safest place for them eventually, but there will be obstacles along the way.

                One example of this symbol comes in the beginning of the book. Anita is eavesdropping of her father’s phone call when she hears him talking about butterflies. Anita’s father happened to be talking with someone else who was going to try to escape as well. Anita runs back to her room and starts trying to figure out what this could mean. Soon after, the secret police begins to bother Anita and her family and this is when Anita realizes that something is very wrong. This is one example of why I think that nature is a big symbol in Before We Were Free.

                Another example of this continuing symbol happens on page 47. Anita is talking to her crush Oscar whose family is trying to help Anita’s escape from the Dominican Republic. Anita starts to talk about sunshine and how she feels like there is a burst of sunshine in her heart. Although Anita is using this description while explaining her feelings about Oscar, I think that the author placed this in the book to show how her family will break free and be able to live a bright, happy life after all of the hard times that they are going through.

                The final example of this symbol comes at the end of the book once Anita and her family are free. They are having Thanksgiving dinner at their cousin’s house in Queens, New York when it begins to snow. I think that this symbolizes how they have finally been set free and they have been released from all of the terrible things that have happened throughout their journey to safety.  As Anita is watching the snow she says that it comes down “freely, heavily, and beautifully”. I think that this event is also allowing Anita and her family to let go of all that has happened and be open to a new life where they are free.

                I really enjoyed reading Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez. I think that this is a great book because it really opens your eyes to events that really happened in the world. I really liked reading Anita’s story and I felt like this book allows the reader to discover things, wonder about things, and be upset or happy about things along with Anita. This book was also very funny to read because Anita was always expressing her curiosity with her friends and family and they always had mixed feelings about this. All in, this was an amazing book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction or anyone who just wants a young girls inspiring story.