We’ve heard that books, particularly non-fiction books, may alter our minds and lives. Meanwhile, we’ve been persuaded that the sole purpose of reading a fiction novel is to escape reality, whether through fantasy, romance, or other genres. What we haven’t been taught is that fiction novels have a greater impact on our thinking abilities than nonfiction books. It’s never a waste of time to do what you enjoy, but fiction novels may be more than that. Fiction novels have the power to transform your view on life by telling a compelling tale. Here are four terrific, engrossing fiction works that can help you escape reality while also changing your outlook on life.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This work is one of the most well-known classic literature that most high school students have heard of, and for good reason. Although it was published in 1960, it is set in the mid-1930s in the little Alabama town of Maycomb. Scout Finch, a six-year-old tomboy living with her lawyer father Atticus and her ten-year-old brother Jem, narrates the story. Many Maycomb residents are racists, and Atticus is required to defend Tom Robinson, a black man wrongfully convicted of a crime, during the novel. Scout and her brother learn essential life lessons about tolerance, empathy, and understanding from their father, and the reader observes the trial unfold through Scout’s innocent eyes. This book teaches you about racism and how it still exists in the world. This novel will educate you that even if you have the best intentions, such as Atticus, awful things may happen to decent people. However, this does not imply that you will lose hope in life. This book also emphasizes the importance of not judging a book just by its cover. “You cannot truly know a man unless you put yourself in his shoes and walk about in them,” the saying goes. To conclude, this book teaches you about mankind, global wrongdoings, racism, not losing hope, and things that will transform your outlook on life.
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The lives of women in third-world nations are not easy to comprehend. When you think about the issue, you might imagine unending housework and male dominance. But to what degree is this true? A Thousand Splendid Suns can answer this question. When you first start reading, you will be immediately immersed in Mariam’s childhood environment in Afghanistan, where she frequently plays outside and assists her pessimistic mother. You will witness Mariam performing the things that any youngster would do until an event sets off the bomb, and the narrative blows up into a sequence of uphills and downhills. A Thousand Splendid Suns are one of those books that you can’t talk about without giving anything away about the plot but it will transform your life. It will change the way you think about things, especially the perks and rights you have as a citizen of a stable, democratic nation. Hopefully, you will be more grateful to your parents, peers and teachers as a result of this experience. While we take things for granted, Mariam and Laila are missing one or more of them. Seeing the inequality all around us is eye-opening. It will provide you with information on third-world challenges that you won’t find in textbooks and with emotion, you won’t find in newspaper stories. As Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird would remark, I believe it is past time for us to take a step back and see the world through the eyes of someone else. I believe you will want more once you have finished reading the final word of the narrative since it is that intriguing!
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas’s debut novel, The Hate U Give, is about an adolescent girl who struggles with racism, police brutality, and activism after watching her black friend being killed by the police. Now, this form of crime and injustice occurs across the world, and it is one of the most significant issues. Now, there are several specific concerns that this novel may teach you about. You may learn to constantly speak up with a brave face in a difficult situation. You’ll realize it’s alright to cut toxic individuals out of your life. You will learn that racism is still common in today’s culture and that discrimination and injustice are issues that should be discussed more openly. You’ll learn not to do anything if you’re not in the correct frame of mind. You’ll learn that activism may take many different forms. You will learn how critical it is to hear all sides of a story.
4. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Nora, a thirty-something lady who is regretful about her life and feels estranged and useless in this society, is the narrator of The Midnight Library. She stumbles onto the Midnight Library amid her wallowing. Each book in the series serves as a doorway into a different version of her existence. As she reads the books, she has access to alternate possibilities of her life, including relationships she may have kept, occupations she might have followed and so on. Nora’s voyage of self-discovery results in a life-affirming and contemplative narrative about the decisions we make, the routes we’ve taken, and each of our positions in this world as she leaps in and out of various other universes. Since this novel mostly deals with mental health challenges, there are various things you may learn from it. You’ll mostly learn 3 factors: regret simply holds us back, we matter more than we know, and we have unlimited potential.
If you want to modify your outlook on life, read the fictional novels suggested above. These books cover a wide range of topics, including racism, inequality, humanity, injustice, optimism, gratitude, regrets, and boundless possibility. So, if you want to escape reality while still seeing the world in a new light, pick up these novels!
