As I’m sure you’ve noticed from the unusual assortment of books I’ve chosen to review so far here on families.com, I am a curious person. I want to know about other people, traditions, lands, and cultures, and I have found that books are an excellent way to gain that knowledge.
For some reason, I’ve always been drawn to the Jewish way of life. Reading books about the ancient Jews, such as the Lynn Austin series about King Hezekiah I recently reviewed, brings the history to life, while reading books by Chaim Potok helps me to understand Judaism from a more recent perspective. I am fascinated by the Amish, the Russians, the Italians, the Greeks – I could use the entire space for this blog just listing all the people I want to learn more about.
And as I learn more about other cultures, I find traits that impress me so much, I want to make them a part of my life as well. The Italians and their deep devotion to family, the Greeks and their love of beauty, the Irish and their commitment to their roots, the Amish and their adherence to tradition – these all call out to me, and make me want to improve my own inner self, my own sense of who I am and what makes me tick.
Let us not for one single minute forget the food. Greek baklava, Mexican enchiladas, and real Italian pasta – it’s endless. And you can discover all of this within the pages of a book.
Our world leaders and our religious leaders have for many years asked us to be willing to reach out beyond our own boarders and be willing to share with those of other cultures. We can best do this when we understand those other cultures, realizing how very much alike we are, and we can find all this information and more as we read. Come on now, the world awaits! And I’m going to go find some enchiladas . . .