Fae Friday is an awesome new weekly post created by Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. I’m super excited to participate in this (and to have been an avid supporter of it from the beginning)! A topic is provided each week, and Kristy is so welcoming to ideas from others. If you have any ideas for topics, reach out to her through her blog or on Twitter (@caffeinatedfae).

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• Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
• If the prompt idea comes from another blog, link to that blog as well.
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• Participate when you can and have fun with the prompt!

This week, we’ve seen both the good and the bad. Our world needs change which is why I’m wondering: What is a book that made you want to help change the world? Wanting to help change the world isn’t enough which is why there is a bonus prompt of: What are you doing to help change the world?

There are so many areas of the world that need changing, but if I think about it all, it feels so overwhelming. As one person in my tiny corner of the world, it often feels like I don’t have much power to make change. But each of us has the ability to make changes in our own life, and if enough of us do this, it’ll normalize the changes and hopefully create major positive changes in the world.

While I primarily read for enjoyment and escape, I do branch out into non-fiction at times, especially when it’s a really important subject. In addition, fiction books can give me insight into experiences and cultures that are different from my own, and give me a different perspective that I wouldn’t be likely to see. Here’s some books that have had a major impact on my desire to help create changes:

• Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain – this book was incredibly eye-opening about the history of African-Americans in America, and was so thorough. It made me even more committed to supporting the Black community, to continue striving for equality, and diversifying my own exposure. History and the education system have been whitewashed, and it’s up to me to continue learning.
• Night by Elie Wiesel – I read this book when I was much younger, and then again fairly recently. It was powerful then and it’s still powerful now. The Holocaust didn’t start suddenly, but occurred through a series of changes over time. It’s important to speak out when I see something antisemitic or racist, and I strive to help others understand more about the Holocaust. This is an area that is especially important to me as the child of a Holocaust survivor, and someone who actively experiences intergenerational trauma as a result.
• How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi – not only did I learn about American history and how racism has been entrenched in our society for centuries, but there’s so much information about addressing our own biases. It isn’t enough to be not racist, but we have to work to be antiracist to create change.
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – this book hit especially hard. Seeing the aftermath of a Black boy killed by police and how it affected not just the people closest to him, but also the community strongly paralleled the events of last year. I loved how this story unfolded and how realistic it felt. Angie Thomas could have pulled this story from the headlines of any newspaper around the country, and we all need to work harder to push for murders like this to stop.

What are some books that make you want to change the world?