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In our world we meet so many people and the people that we meet have so many stories to tell. We aren’t all constantly listening to people’s stories, we are commuting, working together, or just passing by. No matter what everyone has had a lifetime of experiences and each one of us has a unique view on life and a unique situation. So what if you could listen to people’s stories that you may have never heard but always wondered about. Curiosity is a powerful thing and The Human Library is working to tell people’s stories.
What is a Human Library? It is a library where instead of getting books, you get to hear people’s stories. The stories that are told are neither positive nor negative but what they are doing is defying stereotypes. The stories that they highlight on their website are stories told from the perspective of the person, an alcoholic, someone who has ADHD, a person with autism, and more powerful stories. These people are called Human Books, and they tell you about what their perspective is on their situation. The Human Libraries tagline is unjudge someone, we may think we know what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes but to hear it from their perspective can change minds and destroy stereotypes.
Another thing that the human library is looking to do is to have safe discussions between their books and the readers. They also want to be able to create a place where difficult questions can be asked. The ultimate goal is to unjudge someone and to challenge people’s stereotypes about others. The Human Library was started in Denmark and has partners in more than 70 countries across the world. Next time you see someone in a situation and think about judging them maybe take a step back and realize that you don’t know their story.