As I mentioned in an earlier post we are reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand next. We are enjoying our book club so much we decided to meet in April instead of waiting until May. Unbroken was written by the same author as Seabiscuit both books are nonfiction works which document how humans and animals can prevail against great diversity. During our book club meeting we also discussed the movie, 50/50 a movie where a young man with a very rare form of cancer, fights this cancer with the help of his family, friends, and his therapist. I sometimes wonder why humans want to read about the suffering of others, would we not be better off "thinking happy thoughts?" I just got back from seeing The Hunger Games a movie based on the book by Suzanne Collins. Again, this deals with humans facing great diversity. Are we obsessed with reading and watching tragedies?
Sometimes when I read about someone who has overcome horrendous life circumstances, I admit I do not feel as much inspired, as I feel unworthy. It may be a contradiction to say that one of the most compelling reasons for me to read realistic fiction is to find out how characters react and solve problems. Maybe I would rather have an "imaginary hero." If the hero is fiction, I can be inspired without feeling unworthy.
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