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This one perhaps didn't transport me to a completely different place because the idea of living in middle class America is not so different from my own upbringing. It was however, different for me as I found a few places that challenged my perspective as a woman reading from the mind of a teenage boy. Specifically, I've never had the pressure of "being a man" influence my decision making, as it very well may have when Sammy mulls over the idea of hopefully becoming the manager, or when he quits his job to perhaps "show off" for a pretty girl.

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From The New York Time's Interview with Barack Obama--
"I loved her writing in part because I saw those people every day. And the interior life she was describing that connected them — the people I was shaking hands with and making speeches to — it connected them with my grandparents, who were from Kansas and ended up journeying all the way to Hawaii, but whose foundation had been set in a very similar setting.
And so I think that I found myself better able to imagine what’s going on in the
lives of people throughout my presidency because of not just a specific novel but the act of reading fiction. It exercises those muscles, and I think that has been helpful.
And then there’s been the occasion where I just want to get out of my own head.
[Laughter] Sometimes you read fiction just because you want to be someplace else."

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This excerpt from the interview highlighted what I consider one of the greatest benefits to be gained from reading literature: empathy. While I agree with the notion that fiction is beneficial because it transports you from one place to another, I believe the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and come out of it with greater understanding and empathy for what is foreign to you is invaluable.

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THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by SANDRA CISNEROS

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THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by SANDRA CISNEROS

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This novel gives the reader several opportunities to look at shared and different experiences. I found the experiences of being a woman and childhood both relatable. I was however, able to place myself in an unfamiliar territory as I did not grow up with immigrant parents, live in poverty, or experience sexual assault during my childhood. Reading this novel helped me make connections and gain a greater understanding of the experience of Mexican Americans from an accessible point of view.

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I think when we read literature, we're often look first for what is most relatable, and I could relate to the titular, "Girl" character that this poem was centered around, as most women can relate to readying themselves to take on their assigned, gendered labor in life. However, what is also so wonderful about literature, is that once we're able to hone in on something that we share in, it enables us to see that we're not so different from those who in other aspects, and worlds apart from us. Though I shared in the common female experience, I also could recognize that we came from vastly different backgrounds and upbringings.

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I believe the importance of empathizing with characters in literature is most transformative when we can empathize with an unlikable character. Alice Walker does a great job writing her characters, as despite being entitled, condescending, and flat-out rude to her flesh and blood, I was still able to find understanding. Through the narrative she weaves, we see that Dee may have misplaced frustrations, she only wants to better herself and move forward in the world, and she really does just want more for her family.

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Although this has always just seemed like an unremarkable, corny 90's ska hit, the song The Impression That I Get by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, exemplifies my ideas of the importance of empathy. I'd heard this song a number of times in my life before I'd actually ever really listened to the words of the song, until my partner, who works in social work, mentioned it and the message clicked.

Never had to knock on wood
But I know someone who has
Which makes me wonder if I could
It makes me wonder if
I've never had to knock on wood
And I'm glad I haven't yet
Because I'm sure it isn't good
That's the impression that I get

The song gets across the message that no matter how much education we may pursue, or how much we read, or seek to expand our understanding, that we never truly know another's lived experience and because of that we should always approach situations with that understanding- that we don't know.

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The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get (Official Music Video)