The powerful purpose of books from other cultures

I don't know exactly when and how, but I fell in love with books very early.

For me, they were magic, and maybe corny, but true, a portal to new worlds.

To this day, they remain magical; or as someone wrote:

How you ever realised how surreal reading a book is?

You stare at marked slices of tree for hours on end hallucinating vividly.

To be transported from your children's room to the farthest corners of the world or an unknown galaxy... the reader really lives thousands of lives.

That’s why I love the expression “armchair travel”. The essence of it is that a good story has the power to unite us with the characters and their world, giving us a sense of shared humanity.

It is also said that we read so much about some places that, once when finally there, we come to recognize them again, as if we were not seeing them for the first time.

But when it comes to fiction, short stories, or novels of hundreds of pages, we don't recognize only Paris or Stockholm. We don't just virtually walk the streets of those cities, we enter the houses, people's lives, their families, struggles, tragedies and comedies of everyday life, their culture.

As I lived the lives of characters from these faraway places, a fascinating comparison game began.

How did their lives mirror mine? How were they different? How would I react in their situations?

It was a game fueled by pure childhood wonder, but one that, in retrospect, fostered a crucial skill: empathy.

My literary journeys continued as I grew older, taking me across countries.

A couple of years ago I found myself living in Sweden, a world away from the childhood in every possibly way.

The constant companion of books remained. Reading about different cultures wasn't just a nostalgic pastime, it was a tool for understanding. It still is.

Literature holds the immense potential in bridging cultural divides.

Book can be your guide to customs, holidays, and everyday quirks.

You can travel through time: Books can take you back in history and show you how people lived. You'll learn about important events and understand why things are the way they are today. Why society is shaped the way you see it today.

You can see language coming alive: Textbooks teach you grammar rules, but books show you how people actually talk. You'll discover slang, different accents, and how language is used in everyday situations. This can help improving your vocabulary. It’s about language in its natural habitat.

You can spark your curiosity: A great book can make you want to learn more about a different culture. You might get interested in their music, art, or food because of the story. Books can be a jumping-off point to explore a new culture in more depth, inviting you towards a deeper cultural immersion.

Books set in other countries open doors to different cultures, faiths, and perspectives.

We witness not just the beauty, but also the realities that make up a culture. Books remind us that the world is an amazing mosaic, and that its beauty lies in the richness of its diversity.

By reading stories, by stepping into new worlds, we move closer to a future where everyone is seen not as "the other," but as part of the human family.

At the end, despite of all the differences, there is so much more that connects us than separate us.

Maybe you can't really walk a mile in someone else's shoes, but that's why we have books.

So that you can walk miles and miles in thousands of other people's shoes.

Isn't that amazing?