What else could you ever need?
I know when I was in high school, I always preferred fiction books to nonfiction books. I thought fiction books were better, more interesting, and more fun to read than nonfiction, and sometimes that's the case. However, that mistakenly led me to dismiss the entire category of nonfiction. Yes, I still prefer fiction, but my college experience (this book in particular) has changed my negative view toward nonfiction in general.
The book I read was Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, and it documented the experience Melba had as part of the "Little Rock Nine," or the first nine African American students to integrate schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. Now, I've always been familiar with the times and dates and court cases associated with integration, but until I read this book, it remained simply a part of history. I never gave much thought to the real experience those first integrated students faced. I never considered the details of the humiliation, agony, disappointment, and pain they were put through on a daily basis just to get the kind of education they deserved all along. This nonfiction book opened my eyes to the reality of history. It made history personal. Too often students face the risk of learning history as something in the distant past that has no relevance, or as something that's important, but not personal. Reading nonfiction books can change this for students of all ages, and I believe it's a necessary part of their education.
2 Comments
Corinne Gumann
3/31/2015 01:18:19 am
I'm happy that I got to read your post before I started reading this book for my Non-fiction. I agree that I am usually not that into reading non-fiction books and fiction usually seems more interesting to me. I look forward to reading this book now and I think that it will give a new outlook on the history like you said.
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4/7/2015 12:24:07 am
I too agree that non-fiction was surprisingly moving and interesting to read. In school, we always read fiction and also for the first part of my college career. But upon taking a non-fiction class, I was able to see all of the potential and power within a non-fiction story. As you mentioned in your blog, you were able to see the true human emotions experienced during that time and it hit you harder because you knew it was real. Ever since I started reading non-fiction, I have found myself understanding the material more, connecting and empathizing more, and most importantly wanting to continue and not put the book down. There really is so much to the non-fiction genre that can keep readers, like me, hooked.
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AngelicaLaughter and literature are two of my favorite things, and I consider them to be crucial parts of my life. This blog is designed to spread life, laughter, and literature to anyone and everyone who needs them most. Photo by Tim Geers
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