Book choices and active reading help develop empathy and understanding.

Imagining Others’ Experiences

Studies have shown that reading fiction can improve empathy, increase emotional intelligence and promote social understanding and acceptance. The skill known as “theory of mind” — which enables a reader to imagine the thoughts and feelings of others — positively correlates with emotional intelligence for readers of all ages.

A Title to Inspire Growth

An excellent example of a book that encourages empathy, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness allows readers to observe the thoughts and actions of Conor O’Malley, a teenager coping with his mother’s terminal illness. Angry and invisible, he navigates daily tortures: bullies, change, pain, lies. Hiding a secret from the world and from himself, he is surprised when a real monster from his backyard comes calling, exposing his painful truth but healing him in the process.

A study in grief and acceptance, A Monster Calls explores a young boy’s internal struggles and the tragic circumstances that shaped them. By revealing fears and coming to terms with personal tragedy, this book will inspire hope and compassion in its readers.

Reading fiction like A Monster Calls can help us better understand the lives and perspectives of people very different from ourselves. At the same time, it exposes the root of our shared experience — that we are all human and living in this world together.