Reading Something Painful
Do you avoid reading anything that is depressing, sad? Some people do. If it doesn't bring a smile, give a mood boost, or at least some assurance the ending will redeem any unpleasantness, they avoid it.
That may be the right thing to do in their case for a variety of reasons.
But not for me. Learning about dark times in history or the huge challenge someone goes through because of what life unexpectedly brought their way is not always a few hours of hilarity. Sometimes it's achingly sad, gut-wrenching even. Anger comes reading about injustice, suffering, and blatant evil.
A gifted writer can impart all of that without penning every explicit detail of what occurred, and yes, those authors who seem to relish explaining torture or other unpleasantness to the extreme are crossed off the to-be-read list pretty quickly.
But truth is truth, and it needs to be out there. It can make us grow, increasing our knowledge base and maturing us as individuals. Reading about the young man who became a quadriplegic in the days when there was so little known about how to treat him brought tears to my eyes more than once. It was a very sad story.
The thing is, it was also a story filled with hope, people showing the best of what they're capable of, and God's grace put forth in ways the main characters could never have imagined. It was a beautiful story, too.
Individual personal accounts of Jewish people who survived a death camp in Germany? Why put yourself through that? Maybe you shouldn't. But a well written account can give you a front row seat to incidents of kindness and courage in an atmosphere of pure hell. It's good to know evil can never completely quench light and life.
If someone writes a fiction account of a real event and there's no hope in it, I say that story has got to be fiction. In real life there's always at least a glimmer of light in the tunnel.
Let me know if you would like the names of the books I was referring to and I'll put them up in recommendations.
What books have you read that made you sad, but you're so glad you did?
For me, the short answer is: It depends.
ReplyDeleteI have learned to avoid dark, depressing books when I'm struggling with dark moods or depression. That's not the time to read P.D. James's mysteries, or the novels of Ernest Hemmingway and John Steinbeck. That's the time (or one of the times) to read comic mysteries, like those of Marion Babson and the Little sisters, or memoirs of James Herriot's exploits as a Yorkshire vet, or C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.
Sometimes, though, I really need a good cry and don't know why, and that's a good time to read something sad (but not dystopian!).
I have read dozens of Holocaust histories and memoirs, and a couple of more are on my current wish lists, but, like you, I find that what resonates (in all but one) if the courage and the kindnesses, sometimes very small but always very significant, despite the very great evils. The one exception was written by a survivor who saw no good in anyone and, as recently as a decade ago, held fast to bitter and profound hatred and self-pity and seemed unable to see the suffering of any other person . . . though by her own account she was surrounded by suffering. I have no desire to re-read her account, though I have re-read many others.
Now that is a good point about our current mood also dictating what we read.
DeleteHow very tragic that the survivor you mention was so wounded he/she could not even grasp the kindness or concern of those who have been there since that horrible experience.
It depends on whether it's based on real events or completely fictional. I won't read dark/depressing fantasy, but I love fantasy in general. But if it involves torture or horrific violence, it's not for me. Same thing with someone who is captured/kidnapped--if the book becomes too dark, it's not for me. If I'm reading non-fiction, it can be a real learning experience. It still matters how much is told. Humans can be the cruelest of cruel and I don't need to read about evil in great detail. I know it exists. I will not immerse myself in it.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be a better world if more people recognized what damages their psyche? Maria, to me you - and Carole too - both describe warning signals that go off in your mind when you fill it with too much darkness.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly it the nail on the head. Many times I have been reluctant to read something knowing it has a lot of sadness or boring details. However , it also shows courage, spirit filled or God's power in that situation. When I take the time to follow it through it helps broaden my perspectives on how God intervenes. He lifts someone up over their problems, the history as it really happened or how that sad part brought peace and happiness for many others.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rita. I'm glad you take a risk with your reads sometimes, too. It has payed off.
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