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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mt Holyoke chapter.

We all love the ability of books to take us away to a faraway place in order to imagine the fantastically fictional. More often than not when I go to do some independent reading, it will be fiction. Recently, I’ve been trying to read more and more non-fiction books and I recommend you try to do the same. Non-fiction is enjoying the reality in which we live.  Non-fiction has its own flavor. It’s like having a conversation with the writer. It enables you to think outside the box and to create your own ideas.

books on bookstore shelf
Photo by Alfons Morales from Unsplash

Here are just some of the benefits of reading non-fiction: 

 

  • Rading non-fiction helps you understand reality. While fiction sometimes takes you to the imaginative world, non-fiction unfolds the reality so you get to know real people and their lives.
  • Non-fiction enlightens you with a specific idea of subjectivity. It also gives knowledge in a specific subject which helps in learning new things.

  • It provides you with facts. It gives a true picture of the surroundings.

 

hand holding book open
Photo by Blaz Photo from Unsplash

  •  Non-fiction expands the reader’s horizon. It makes you smarter to understand real-life concepts.

  • It helps in expanding your thought process and allows you to form your own arguments. You then tend to re-evaluate and reassess the situations in life which make you more practical.

  • Non-fiction makes you curious to know things. It helps in improving the ability to perceive situations and contradict ideas with your own intellect.

girl reading on train
Photo by Will Tarpey from Unsplash

  • It is a different reading experience as it provokes you to use their minds and formulate the path of understanding.

  • Last but not the least, reading non-fiction makes you feel like more of a student who is ready to learn and understand reality and know the subject.

I hope that you’ll give non-fiction books a try! I recently read Eviction by Matthew Desmond and it truly opened my eyes to the current issues of affordable housing. There are so many non-fiction books out there all written on things that will totally pique your interest. 

 

If you would like to write for Her Campus Mount Holyoke, or if you have any questions or comments for us, please email hc.mtholyoke@hercampus.com.  

 

Amanda Thibodeau

Mt Holyoke '24

Intending to major in History and Education Just a girl who loves to listen to music and watch films
Mount Holyoke College is a gender-inclusive, historically women's college in South Hadley, MA.