Sunday July 10, 2011 - Jaleh Browder
I recently sat down for a talk with my Aunt Jaleh about books that impacted her life. All the books that she mentioned having a meaningful impression on her life had something to do with either truth, conviction, beliefs, or spirituality (or all of them).
When my aunt was about 16 or 17 years old she read Othello, Iliad, and Odyssey. Othello taught her about deception and lies. She told me this was the book that taught her the implications of lies and to never hide behind them. In this way, Othello helped her discover her own identity and philosophy. The Iliad and the Odyssey both forced her to question her theology. At the time she read it, her father was trying to convert her to Islam, and reading the mythological books made her realize that there were other religions out there very different from the Muslim religion.
The Rise and Fall of the Shah was another book that she told me had impacted her life and her perspective on truth. When my aunt was growing up she had always heard only her family's perspective on the Shah of Iran, but this book was written from the the American Media point of view and was very different from her family's stories. Reading a completely different version of the same story made her realize that there were two sides to every story and that you need to do your own research before you believe either side of a story.
Two other books impacted my aunts spirituality. One, The Prophet, she read when she was 23 and the other, Christ out of Egypt, she read when she was 40. The Prophet was a bout a man who was born and raised Catholic, but one day he questions his entire existence and religion. This book broadened her prospective on religion and spirituality by showing her many different views on religion and death and everything in between. Christ out of Egypt re solidified her own beliefs as a Christian, and also reinforced her belief that it doesn't matter how you believe as long as you do believe with passion and conviction.
The final book that influenced my aunt (and also the book that I chose to read) was The Unbearable Lightness of Being. This book is about a woman who felt tied and compelled to be a mother, daughter, employee, etc. and she was becoming consumed with being all of these different things, until she realized that just being was good enough. My aunt realized that you shouldn't have to try to be anything at all, just be, and everything else will fall into place. I chose to read this book because my aunt said that of all the books she has read, this one has helped her throughout her life the most, by allowing her to become more free and be herself.
When my aunt was about 16 or 17 years old she read Othello, Iliad, and Odyssey. Othello taught her about deception and lies. She told me this was the book that taught her the implications of lies and to never hide behind them. In this way, Othello helped her discover her own identity and philosophy. The Iliad and the Odyssey both forced her to question her theology. At the time she read it, her father was trying to convert her to Islam, and reading the mythological books made her realize that there were other religions out there very different from the Muslim religion.
The Rise and Fall of the Shah was another book that she told me had impacted her life and her perspective on truth. When my aunt was growing up she had always heard only her family's perspective on the Shah of Iran, but this book was written from the the American Media point of view and was very different from her family's stories. Reading a completely different version of the same story made her realize that there were two sides to every story and that you need to do your own research before you believe either side of a story.
Two other books impacted my aunts spirituality. One, The Prophet, she read when she was 23 and the other, Christ out of Egypt, she read when she was 40. The Prophet was a bout a man who was born and raised Catholic, but one day he questions his entire existence and religion. This book broadened her prospective on religion and spirituality by showing her many different views on religion and death and everything in between. Christ out of Egypt re solidified her own beliefs as a Christian, and also reinforced her belief that it doesn't matter how you believe as long as you do believe with passion and conviction.
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