5 books that inspire me

Hey friends! I know I haven’t been posting as much as usual, but that’s because I got a new job recently and the transition has been taking up a bunch of my time. I’m still working as a bookseller, but Job #2 has changed locations. In honour of this change, I thought I would write about some books that have inspired me to be a SSW.

1. Drunk Mom by Jowita Bydlowska – Addiction, especially alcohol abuse, is something that I think most people understand on a surface level, but that the general public doesn’t see as the illness it is. This book is raw and real, and shows people the truth of how difficult it can be for someone to stop drinking. Even with the best of reasons, the mental health issue that is addiction is nearly impossible to beat. This book helped me see inside the mind of an addict and broke down some of the preconceptions I had about addiction so that I could be a better helper to those who struggle with this issue.
2. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf – Reading about two lonely older people who turn to each other for friendship, companionship, and love inspired me to work with the aging population. We all just want to be treated well, and yet there’s this societal flaw that treats older people like they are second class because they may need a bit more assistance throughout their day. This book helped me realize that I want to change that perception and help older adults keep their dignity by living life the way they wish.
3. Bad Medicine: A Judge’s Struggle for Justice in a First Nations Community by John Reilly – Growing up in Northern Ontario introduced me to some of the issues raised by the reserves and the treatment of First Nations people. Many of my assignments during college focused on these issues and I made it a bit of a mission to educate the rest of my classmates because so many of them had no clue. This book inspires me to take a stand, speak out against injustices, and take the opportunity to educate people about what has and is happening to the people we have oppressed.
4. The Lark and The Wren by Mercedes Lackey – This probably seems like a really odd choice, but this book is full of marginalized people who are being abused by those in power. So many of the characters in this book work so hard to overcome systemic oppression, and although it is set in a fantasy world, we face the same issues in our own. I have been inspired by this book to keep fighting against the unfair treatment of those who live in poverty, who are shamed for who they love, who live a different life from what society says is normal.
5. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida – Although the autism spectrum has become better known over the last few years, we are still learning how wide that spectrum extends. This book provides insight into the thought process of a person with autism, explaining why he does certain things, and what he thinks about certain situations. It inspires me to think in different ways, and to see things from someone else’s point of view.

So what books inspire you? Tell me what else I should read.