Empathy Day 8th June 2023

Reading opens our minds to the life experiences of different people through biographies and fiction.

Read Connect Act

Here is this year’s Empathy Lab ‘Read for Empathy’ book collection

Have a browse of the Mallinson Library – Reading for Empathy collection on padlet.

A book I recently read and listened to as an audiobook on our Wheelers eplatform is:

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

I can’t believe that I have taken so long to get around to reading this powerful book which was recommended to me by a fellow school librarian years ago. It is a book based on a devastating event which took place on a bus in Oakland, California.

One teenager in a skirt.
One teenager with a lighter.
One moment that changes both of their lives forever.

It is not an easy read and handles difficult topics but Slater shows both viewpoints – the victim and their family, the perpetrator and his family. It explores race and economics, gender and identity. The book discusses the justice system and whether Richard should be tried as a juvenile or in adult criminal court. It includes the idea of restorative justice and does a brilliant job of showing the feeling and emotions of all the people involved.

A compelling, heartbreaking book which made a huge impact on me and I think will challenge and grip our students.