Drawing on years of prescribing ‘books as medicine’ to people around the world, bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud reveals how bibliotherapy can offer comfort, insight, and a way forward through life’s many challenges.
Central to her work is an unwavering belief in fiction’s transformative power. When reading a book deeply, whether alone in a quiet room, nestled in a dedicated reading nook, or even when on the move, reading allows us to step into another world and emerge changed.
Unlike nonfiction, which typically appeals to the conscious mind, fiction engages us at a deeper, subconscious level and invites us to become the characters we read about, experiencing both their joys and sorrows. In doing so, we change how we see ourselves and the world around us.
For a book to be therapeutic it needs to offer more than just a great story, Ella argues; it should also resonate with the reader’s personal circumstances and challenges. As a bibliotherapist, her recommendations span modern literature, enduring classics, poetry, and even graphic novels, each chosen with the unique needs of the reader in mind.
She also highlights how children's and young adult books can hold real value for adult readers, noting that they contain profound stories worth engaging with even in later years.
While arguing that some books should be approached with caution – differentiating between content that is heavy yet ultimately meaningful versus unnecessarily hideous imagery that’s emotionally scarring – she notes the comfort fiction can provide in times of uncertainty.
In an age of near-constant digital distraction, she champions reading as a grounding practice that builds character, increases emotional intelligence, and even contributes to physical health. She suggests keeping a notebook to nurture a richer reading life amid the noise of modern life.
Whether someone is a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic reader, she invites them to embrace reading as a profoundly personal, sensory, and meaningful act.
Ella is the co-author, along with Susan Elderkin, of The Novel Cure: An A to Z of Literary Remedies and The Story Cure: An A-Z of Books to Keep Kids Happy, Healthy and Wise. She also wrote The Art of Mindful Reading and 30 Second Literature:The 50 most important forms, genres and styles, each explained in half a minute.
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