Breaking Standards - It's Hopping Here!

This article was previously published in the Pennington County Courant newspaper.

Breaking Standards – Part Two

Creating a Platform for Empathy

by Libbi Sykora, edited by Wendy Brunnemann

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway

Books create a platform for empathy. I don’t know how someone else might feel about his or her life, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn yet throughout the course of the rest of mine. I have basically spent my whole life in Wall, which is not a bad thing at all. However, growing up in one place with many of the same people, I realize that I don’t know what a lot of the world looks like. I haven’t experienced an enormity of circumstances and personalities.

Reading is something that helps me understand. Reading the stories about the lives of others (whether their lives be fiction or non-fiction), I am able to have a better understanding of the world. Through reading, I learn what other people have gone through in their lives. I learn that things happen to people that are both unbelievably good, and horribly bad. I read the narration by these people, and I get to hear their thoughts. Books bridge the gap of understanding. They have the power to show what other parts of the world are like.

At Wall Community Library, we house a multitude of stories. We have a place for these tales of the lives of people who are completely different than we know. We also have a book club that meets monthly. Having this book club allows patrons to collaborate in order to discuss and understand literature in a whole new way. The book discussion group allows for opportunities to listen to different perspectives, gain new ideas. It sets up an environment capable of gaining insight as to how other people live.

If you would like to learn more about book discussion groups, please contact our library by any of the following means. We are open at 407 Main Street on Wednesdays from 12-7 PM, Thursdays from 9AM-12:30PM and 1:30PM-5PM, and Fridays from 8AM-1PM. Feel free to call us at (605)-279-2929 or email us at wallcomlib@gwtc.net. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook! Our name in this venue is Wall Community Library.

We hope that you are able to join a book discussion group to experience literature on a deeper level.