As I look at my life, I realize I am a creature of habit. I have a type in just about everything: dogs, horses, people, food, and books.
My type for books is what inspired me to write my novel, Shoes of War. I absolutely love any and all books set during the Holocaust. This might make you wonder about me and what kind of person I am. It was such a horrible time in human existence and I believe with all my heart we should be ashamed it ever happened. So why do I love to devour books on the topic?
I have mentioned in a few places on my website how much of the family on my Dad’s side died during that time in history. Whenever I read Holocaust stories, it makes me think how I might not have come to exist if some of my relatives had not survived. This makes me incredibly sad, but even more so, it makes me feel. Pain in and of itself can be therapeutic, and there is just something about a good cry at the expense of fictional characters in a book. It also reminds me that no matter how bad things might seem in my own life, I am blessed and can move past whatever is bothering me. After all, I, nor any of my family members, are being forced into a gas chamber.
What I am saying is reading books which make us sad is a form of catharsis, which is defined as the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. We can get attached to characters in books; experience fear, pity, sorrow, or a plethora of other intense feelings on their behalf. Our subconscious then relates to those characters, sometimes even unintentionally, and after our ugly cry we are left feeling renewed. Because at the end of the day, these feelings are safe, as we know deep down the people who have been hurt in the story are not real. Or at least not entirely.
If you have not yet read Shoes of War, I will warn you now to keep your tissue box handy. It will hurt for a while, but I promise you will be better for it. And I will be here afterwards to talk through it with anyone who would like. Never underestimate the power of a good cry!
A Good Cry
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