13 Feb Books Let Us Understand Different Realities and Explore New Worlds

(Photo by Ying Ge on Unsplash)

Commentary, Anushka Devanathan

Imagine collapsing onto your bed after a long, tiring day. Before clicking off the light, you grab your favorite book. As you slowly flip each page, your mind starts to drift, filled with ideas of new possibilities as you slowly doze off. Books can be a pathway to amazing opportunities, but most of all, they can be an escape into something new. 

They offer a tempting glimpse into different worlds and perspectives, making each book a retreat from the realities we face. Delving into books that are familiar to our own life will always bring us a sense of comfort, but reading about different lives allows you to explore different cultures, perspectives and even different parts of who we are.

A few months ago, my English teacher assigned “Night” by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor. The horrors and grief throughout the story made it hard to read, but it certainly was eye-opening. 

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I thought I knew about the Holocaust, but reading his book placed me in Wiesel’s perspective and allowed me to experience his emotions, struggles and losses on a new level. Without reading “Night,” I would have never even come close to understanding the effect the Holocaust had on the survivors. It gave me the chance to view the Holocaust through the people who were affected, and it helped me understand what it truly meant. 

To this day, I would recommend this book to anyone — not because it was a pleasant read but because it gave me such powerful insight into the emotions and experiences of the people who went through the Holocaust, something beyond just mere facts.  

But a book doesn’t have to be based in facts and reality to have something special to offer.

One of my favorite things about reading a fantasy book is how I can visualize it in any way I want. As a high school student, my daily routine consists of school, homework and sleep, which can quickly become a bore. Books can provide temporary relief from the monotony.

It’s enthralling to dive into a new world where anything can happen, especially since we’re limited in certain ways in real life. To escape the boring, predictable events of our daily lives, reading an unfamiliar book can immerse you into an exciting, new story. Although the story itself could be finished quickly, the unique characters and ideas will continue to inspire us. Even if the book ended up being the wrong choice for you, it still provided you with the opportunity to learn about new cultures, new peoples, new ideas. 

Whatever book we read, in the end, all books do the same: They inspire us. No matter how many times you read, the feelings of wonder as you go into a new story or the curiosity and connection you build with a character will never be the same. They are an entire world where people from all around this world are connected with a shared sense of exploring the story. Most of all, each book is its own world to draw the reader away from their daily life into a place where anything can happen.