Many of us have bookmarks in more than one book at any given time. Some get finished while others gather dust. Fiction teaches through symbols and metaphors while nonfiction captures data and experience to elevate our learning. If the author tells a good story, we weave it into our life narrative.
We sample our authors with an unconscious confirmation bias. Books are recommended from various sources and resonate for mysterious reasons. Perhaps the reasons aren’t so mysterious, depending on whether we’re actually trying to expand our horizons or strengthen firmly held beliefs.
If growth is the goal, we select authors who think differently from our parenting, education, and life experience. We absorb the thoughts and insights of those who have accrued a perspective that our own background hasn’t awakened. The ideal result is an ‘ah-ha’ – an epiphany.
So, what’s in your stack of books? Through whose lens do you plan to challenge your obsolete assumptions? From what angle have you not viewed your life? Who are the mentors in your library?
