How Reading Fiction Can Make You A Better Ally

Since the galvanizing events of late May, I’ve seen a lot of (white) people recently turn to books for the answer on how to unlearn racism and “decolonize” their minds. Articles have been popping up left and right about what to read and watch for people who are newly concerned about their unconscious bias. These lists typically feature nonfiction books and essays by New York Times favorites like Ibram X. Kendi and Ijeoma Oluo. Don’t get me wrong — definitely read those. But it seems fiction has been mostly left out of that limelight in favor of textbook-style reading lists for people who want to graduate to Good Person™ as quickly as possible.

Nonfiction is necessary, powerful, and often gets to the heart of many issues in ways that are well-researched and expertly defined. But there comes a point where the social divide lies less in people’s ignorance of historical facts and present-day realities of racial discrimination, and more with a general lack of empathy for people who are different. Kayla Chadwick’s viral essay, “I Don’t Know How to Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People” summed it up best:

“I don’t know how to convince someone how to experience the basic human emotion of empathy…Our disagreement is not merely political, but a fundamental divide on what it means to live in a society, how to be a good person, and why any of that matters.”

While Chadwick’s essay was not specifically about race, I believe the sentiment applies to the core of all issues stemming from prejudice and discrimination. White people need to care about Black people. Straight people need to care about queer people. Rich people need to care about poor people. It all boils down to empathy.

So why read fiction?

I love novels.

In 2018, I made it my mission to read 100 books exclusively by authors of color. At the time, that decision was primarily motivated by a desire to get away from the predominantly white reading material that dominated by childhood, adolescence, and academic career. I was hoping to find representation that looked and felt more like myself than anything.

Yet in that process I have read stories about immigration, stories centering disabled characters, stories featuring religions and cultures I have never encountered — stories about identities and experiences that I have no personal connection to at all. And I have come to appreciate those stories more than I could have ever imagined. Even as a queer Black woman, I still have a lot of room to grow as an ally to communities I am not a part of, and fiction is continuously helping me do that.

Fiction plays a unique role in empathy building. A 2014 study demonstrated that there is a positive relationship between increased levels of fiction reading and multiple types of empathy. The research article noted that “written fiction can provide deeper insight into the minds of characters” than other forms of visual media. This can translate to real-world behaviors, such as the tendency towards helping other people.

Developing this emotional intelligence is important because the way marginalized people experience bigotry is inherently emotional. It cuts into a part of the human experience that fiction captures best. Nonfiction does not necessarily ask you to put yourself in the narrator’s shoes so much as it asks that you trust and believe their experiences and expertise. Fiction, on the other hand, asks you to think and feel alongside them.

One of the greatest strengths of fictional stories is giving readers the ability to occupy the head-space of a character as though they were that person. You spend time living their life with them, familiarizing yourself with their morals and values, and subsequently feeling the emotional weight of the various challenges they face in the story. When you are going through this process with characters that are of a different ethnicity, sexuality, religion, etc. you are better able to appreciate the humanity of other people.

“But I don’t like fiction/reading.”

Is that really true?

For most of us, the overwhelming majority of the media we consume is fiction. Unless you watch news reports and documentaries pretty exclusively, you probably enjoy far more fictitious media than you recognize. Think about your favorite movies and TV shows and figure out what appeals to you in those stories.

This is not homework.

Reading shouldn’t feel like a chore or a burden. If the novel you chose feels like a textbook and you’re counting down the pages until you can be done with it, put it down. Pick up something different. If you are unused to this type of reading, it will definitely feel like a challenge to open your mind to stories like this, but it shouldn’t feel unbearable.

A good book will play with your emotions. It will convey despair and anger and grief (as well as joy and hope and pride) in ways that seem almost tangible. If you are having strong negative emotions related to a story, that’s probably a sign of growth. But if you’re having strong negative emotions about the act of reading, chances are that’s not the book for you. As you come to read more, you will be able to better distinguish between material that is challenging your thoughts and perceptions in a good way, and material that you just don’t enjoy.

Not all fiction is created equal.

There are many authors, especially now, that have jumped on the bandwagon of performative allyship by peppering characters into their work for diversity brownie points. As we know from some of media’s most enduring tropes, not all representation is good or valuable. Some depictions hurt more than they help.

An easy way to avoid this is to choose stories that center diverse characters written by diverse authors. If you are seeking to gain a better understanding of a particular perspective, that experience is best sought out from the most direct source.

Read Black fiction from Black authors, read queer stories by queer writers, and read from a wide variety of sources because no one voice can capture an entire community.

Additionally, whenever possible buy the books. Support the authors and help demonstrate that there is a large demand for more diverse stories in literature.

Allyship is not a class you take once, pass, and never have to revisit. Reading one book is not going to “fix” you. Being a true ally is ongoing and lifelong. If you are actually committed to it, consider building this habit to continually improve your outlook. Above all, go into it with the expectation that this particular part of the growth process is something to look forward to. It will not always be easy, but there are genuinely enjoyable moments along the road to becoming a better person.

Especially when there are good books involved.

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