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Monday, May 9, 2016

Let's Not Forget Stories

“Literature is the history of the soul of an age.”

“Tell me a story.”  What child hasn’t said that and what parent hasn’t heard it?  We all love stories.  It seems to be part of our nature.  Every culture has a pattern of stories, beginning with cave pictures that tell stories of successful hunts.

Stories help us make sense of the world and remember our past.  A college professor of mine once said, “Literature is the history of the soul of an age.”  That sentence stayed with me because I think it’s true.  We can read history books, but to really feel what life was like, we need a story.  

That’s why I’m a little concerned about the increasing emphasis on STEM studies (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) to the neglect of literature and the arts. Even Common Core Standards focus more on non-fiction.  Don’t get me wrong. I know how important science and technology are.  And I believe young people need to learn how to read and examine information critically, especially when so much out there is unfiltered.

But let’s not forget stories.  “Tell me a story,” a child says, and Grandma begins, “A long time ago when I was your age . . .”  She tells the story of her journey to America, and family history is passed down.

“Tell me a story,” and Mom weaves a fantasy of fairies that dance in the moonlight.  A child’s eyes light up as she looks into the garden.

We can read about the Civil War, but we learn what it was to live through it with Gone With the Wind.  We read about World War II and the Holocaust, but we feel it when we read Sarah’s Key, The Winds of War, Anne Frank’s Diary, Sophie’s Choice, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Land Girls, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and so many more.  We learn about prejudice and hatred, but it hits home through To Kill a Mockingbird and The Help.  

And it’s not just historical stories.  Think of the pleasure we get out of reading fantasy, mysteries, spy thrillers, romance, horror, and realistic fiction. Each of those books also teach us something about ourselves and our world––that we are not alone in our feelings, that people can overcome hardships, that what is right for one person may not be right for another.  

Children especially need stories, from picture books to novels.  I’m sure it’s comforting for middle-schoolers to read The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and see that they're not alone in their insecurities.  The Harry Potter books show the power young people can have as Harry and his friends fight the evil Voldemart.  Other books show how young people have overcome abuse, illness, tragedy, loss, and other terrible things.  The message is, it can be done.

So yes, let’s make sure young people learn science and the skills they need to succeed, but let’s not forget that they need stories, too.

How important have stories and literature been in your life?



14 comments:

  1. The founders of the Grateful American Book Prize share your opinion that history must be equal to math and science in the classroom. The prize goes to a book that makes history interesting for students in Grades 7-9. And their inaugural winner was my own LIKE A RIVER, which is historical fiction and most definitely tells a story. Thanks for your blog post, which makes the point for story so beautifully.

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    1. I just want you to know that I ordered your book and it arrived yesterday. Right now, I'm reading David McCullough's THE WRIGHT BROTHERS for a History Book Club in my community. Can't wait to read LIKE A RIVER when I'm finished.

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Kathy. It was so exciting that your historical fiction book won the award. We may forget battles and dates, but we never forget characters who have made us laugh or cry.

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  3. My grandchildren have been readers all their lives. Even though they have all sorts of electronic devices, including e-readers, they prefer reading from a "real book with paper pages". Stories of all types are important and many can be found in the world of science, especially the life stories of people like Einstein, or Stephen Hawkins. I also believe children, and adults, need more and more stories about history. History leads us to an understanding of not only others but ourselves. We need more stories like "Hamilton"--I would love to see that play! Learning American History via rap!

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  4. Thanks for your comment. Biographies can be great stories, especially it they're written as "creative non-fiction," using fiction techniques to tell a true story. To me, the important thing is to go beyond dates and events and explore feelings and dreams that led to the accomplishments.

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  5. As you know I love to read stories and write them. Hope that many people discover your blog and read this piece. It simply drives home how important it is that we do not neglect to teach children not only how to read but to love the stories. I've read to all eight of our grandchildren. Five out of the eight are avid readers. Some of the others read only what they have to. I believe there is at least one writer and possibly two among them. Wish there was a wand we could wave that would encourage everyone to read and write. But especially to read. The worlds I've discovered through reading would have been unknown to me had it not been for books. I have a stack of to be read books. I have a stack that I've read and cannot part with and then there's a stack of books I've read and want to share with the world. Thankfully as material things and people come and go in my life, I can always count on having a book at my side.

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  6. Amen to that. Reading is so enriching and stories let us live many lives. Thanks for commenting.

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  7. Very well put, Liz! Life without stories would be extremely dull, in deed. We lose ourselves in books, but we find ourselves in them, as well. "The universe is not made of atoms. It's made of tiny stories." (Sorry, I don't know the source for that quote, but it's so true!) Thanks for reminding us of this!

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  8. Thanks for commenting. I love what you said about finding ourselves in stories. How many time have we listened to a character and said, "Of course! That's me. Now I understand . . . . " And I love your quote about the universe being made of stories. We all are.

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  9. Just to let you know all is not lost... there is now a movement in education for STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. We are trying to wedge it in there!! :)
    When looking at innovation and problem solving solving, STEM may provide the 'how' but the arts (including literature) provide the 'why.'

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    1. Wow! I never heard of STEAM. What a great idea and much more balanced. I love your sentence about STEM providing the "how," but the arts providing the "why." The arts of so important. There's an old workers marching song, female workers I think in the 1800s, called "Bread and Roses," with the lines, "Give us bread, but give us roses, too."

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  10. Wonderful post. Parents, teachers, legislators, grandparents, and writers should read.Power to the pen, or in this day and age, the blog.

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  11. Wonderful post. Parents, teachers, legislators, grandparents, and writers should read.Power to the pen, or in this day and age, the blog.

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad my thoughts stuck a chord with so many of my readers.

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