Lucy Horner is a fellow Blogger.
I have been known to comment at her site, Therapy Through Tolstoy and she has commented here. I
purchased this book on Amazon.
Those who are familiar with Lucy Horner’s Blog, Therapy
Through Tolstoy know that the a major theme of
her site is exploring ways in which reading fiction can enhance one’s well
being. In Tolstoy Therapy: A Fiction Prescription she lays out her philosophy in detail. As the author points out,
this approach at self - help, known as Bibliotherapy, goes
back to the ancient Greeks.
Horner tells
her own story and explains how reading has helped her deal with Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome. Next she provides real life examples of folks
who have dealt with life’s problems through reading. Later, she explains and recommends
how numerous works might be helpful when dealing with various personal issues.
A plethora of books are explored. Many of the titles are literary classics including
works of poetry, but a fair amount of popular literature is also included.
Titles range from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, to The Bible, to J.K. Rowling’s
Harry Potter Series. The
reasoning here is not just that “life affirming stories will make you feel
good”. Horner talks about how books can
provide relatable characters that are also wrestling with common issues, how
books can provide inspiration, how books can provide a moral compass, to name
just a few benefits covered. There is even a nod to the fact that some works
that are generally negative in their outlook, might, in some cases be of help
to some. Finally tips on becoming a more dedicated reader are provided.
Lest anyone is thinking that the author goes too far, Horner emphasizes
over and over again that reading is no substitute for professional therapy and
medication. It is instead a way for people to find solace and guidance in dealing
with life’s problems, both big and small.
This is an engaging, short book. Horner coherently takes us
touring through various works and explains how they might be of help in life. She
evens sites scientific studies that support her position. Her writing style is
warm and personal but also precise and easy to understand. There is much food
for thought here as well as more then a few surprises. If anything I hungered
for more detail and thought that some of these concepts can be further
developed. Perhaps there will be future books!
In a passage that helps to sum up the author’s train of thought,
Horner writes,
I currently make time for reading
every day, and choose books that positively affect my mental health. Because of
literature, I’ve come to understand not only myself better, but also my past
experiences. Reading is one of the best ways to find reassurance or to relate
to another, particularly when a book is well chosen.
Personally I read for many reasons. A kind of self - improvement
is but one of them. Previously, I never thought of reading as a way to directly
deal with life’s problems. Nor had I ever heard of Bibliotherapy. However this work, as well as some of the posts over at Therapy
Through Tolstoy , does lead me think. Without a
doubt reading has at times helped me deal with life including my own
shortcomings. I certainly have derived
strength in difficult times as a result of fiction that I have read. My take is
that reading in order to deal with life’s struggles is one dimension of many
that makes reading worthwhile. Thus, this short book is an intriguing
exploration of that dimension. In the future I will be surely more cognizant of
reading’s potential in these respects. Of course, I cannot fail to mention that
this work is also a very entertaining and fun read for bookish folks such as
myself!
When Lucy from Therapy
Through Tolstoy suggested that I write a guest
post for her site I was honored. Coming up with a topic for my entry proved
relatively simple. I suggested to Lucy that she choose a book for me to read
and write about. Lucy gave me a few choices, and we settled on Dubliners, James Joyce’s famous
collection of short stories. As Bibliotherapy and self - improvement through
reading is a key theme of Lucy’s blog, I decided to focus upon that topic in a
loose way.
