There is a clear theme emerging among books and writing that aim to help us heal from the traumatising past 18 months: Care. It’s not self-care, by the way, but looking outward to show care, kindness and generosity to others that will have you feeling optimistic and happy again. Are connection and empathy the solution to many of the biggest problems in the world and your life? Read any one of these four new books about kindness for a mood-boosting mental reset from the endless doom-cycle.
The Kindness Revolution by Hugh Mackay
Social psychologist and respected Australian author Hugh Mackay has written the book the world needs to read in the aftermath of 2020. The Kindness Revolution draws on his 60-year long career in research and writing about, well, all of us – making him an informed and inspiring voice of reason for this new post-pandemic/Trump/everything world.
It’s hard to categorise exactly what The Kindness Revolution is. It’s not quite self-help or a guide to life, but rather a statement about what it means to be a good person. He writes simple truths about why competition culture is not as ‘productive’ as we think, why a good apology has the power to heal, and how we can meet the deeply human need to be heard.
Easy to read, optimistic and purposeful, this book will help you become a bit kinder and a bit better.
The Care Factor: A Story of Nursing and Connection In the Time of Social Distancing by Ailsa Wild
This is just one of the many important stories from the COVID-19 frontlines that will be told in the years to come. The Care Factor is an intimate look at the reality of the outbreak in Melbourne – experienced by intensive care nurse Simone Sheridan, and shared with us by way of her best friend, author Ailsa Wild.
The Care Factor connects readers back to the personal, human stories that exist beyond the coronavirus news headlines and political debate. Simone and Ailsa remind us that connection and caring for others – whether you’re a nurse or not – is what gets us through the tough stuff.
How Do You Live? by Yoshino Genzaburo
A classic Japanese children’s novel translated into English for the first time, How Do You Live? explores one of life’s biggest questions: how do we live in harmony with each other? The beautiful story follows 15-year-old Junichi Honda, nicknamed Copper, and his uncle. After Copper’s father dies, he moves in with his uncle – the book splices Copper’s journey through life with journal entries of wisdom and guidance written by his uncle.
How Do You Live? is in the same vein as classic philosophical stories like The Little Prince and The Alchemist. Plus, iconic director Hayao Miyazaki and the Studio Ghibli studio are turning the book into a film that will be sure to hit us in the feels!
The Reset: Ideas to Change How We Work and Live by Elizabeth Uviebinené
Another optimistic, post-2020 book, this time focused on how the pandemic forced us to reevaluate the world of work. In The Reset, business columnist Elizabeth Uviebinené lays out how we can use last year’s destabilising events to our advantage – making work better fit our lives and the connected, community-minded world we want to live in.
Like all the books on this list, The Reset is purposeful and outward-looking. It shows how being more mindful of the environments we create for ourselves and others can lead to a radically positive future. Uviebinené believes we really can bring about new ways of working and living for the benefit of all.
