Do you often feel like the “right” thing to read is focused on your career, skills or world events? Do you feel compelled to read the newest business book or article rather than novels?

If so, I invite you to consider the premise put forward by the Harvard Business Review in an article by Christine Seifert published on March 6, 2020 entitled, “The Case for Reading Fiction.”

“Some of the most valuable skills that managers look for in employees are often difficult to define, let alone evaluate or quantify: self-discipline, self-awareness, creative problem-solving, empathy, learning agility, adaptiveness, flexibility, positivity, rational judgment, generosity, and kindness, among others. How can you tell if your future employees have these skills? …. Recent research in neuroscience suggests that you might look to the library for solutions; reading literary fiction helps people develop empathy, theory of mind, and critical thinking.”

Earlier this month, the enduring CBS new magazine 60 Minutes interviewed Cillian Murphy. He is an accomplished actor starring in Peaky Blinders and multiple Batman movies. Most recently, he became an Oscar nominee for best actor in “Oppenheimer.”  The movie itself is nominated for this year’s best picture.

He said, and I paraphrase: “I find so much empathy in novels – putting yourself into someone else’s point of view. A novel can change someone’s life, and a movie as well as good art has the power of changing people.”  Fiction provides you with a window into people, what they feel, how they think and navigate life’s joys, sorrows, and tragedies. It enables you to connect, understand, and inquire. To hear more: 60 Minutes: Cillian Murphy of Oppenheimer fame

Empathy and understanding are traits that are essential in the world and the workplace. Reading fiction is not an optional element but a crucial one in developing those skills.

You can choose to pick up a book in a library or bookstore, at book sales, from friends, via The Pango app (used books online) and more! You can listen to books on audio to explore fictional stories. If you need a place to start, see a librarian, ask a friend, or join the multitude of applications that let you collect ideas, like Goodreads. I also recommend you listen to The Book Case Podcast – ABC Audio for book ideas, authors’ stories, independent bookstores to visit, and inspirational listening!

Here are five personal recommendations to begin your fictional exploration:

In conclusion, I offer James Baldwin’s reflection: “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was Dostoevsky and Dickens that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”

Lisa Melara
Board of Trustees
Northern Onondaga Public Library