One of the things I love about reading, especially in first person narratives, is feeling like I know the author. It's like making a new friend. I read their experiences and go through it with them, and I get to see things from their perspective. It's no secret that reading expands your world view- I'm just saying I really like it. (Maybe especially since I took a one year hiatus from reading after graduating college. It just wasn't fun anymore)
A rather powerful book I read recently was It Was Me All Along. The author takes her reader on her journey through a food addiction and the emotions that spurred it. It is organic and vulnerable, and at times shockingly easy to relate to. As someone who has been both the fat kid and the skinny kid and channeled my emotions into both, I essentially appreciated that the struggle is real. Food issues or not, I recommend it to anyone because we all experience suffering in one form or another.
The other book I'm reading is Bringing Up Bebe. As a short anecdote, Nate saw the receipt for this come through our Amazon account and thought it was a passive pregnancy announcement (the full title is Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting). I reassured him of two things- I am not pregnant, and, if I was, I would not leave his finding out to a notification from an online vendor. Some things you just have to stand by.
Anyway, I love this book. In a very practical sense, she discusses how to teach an infant early on to sleep through the night, eat their vegetables, and be polite. (Maybe I still need to learn those things?) She also offers a commentary on American habits and social needs in contrast to the French. It sounds like we all need to be a little more French, to be honest. In a relative sense, they live calm lives with set boundaries, and maintain a strong sense of self even after having children. I don't have children, but when I do, I think I'll try out some of the French ideologies! But, kids or not, I recommend it to anyone because it taught me a lot about leadership and communication in general.
So, those are my new friends. Read away. :)
