The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
Bit of a wierd one this, but I trace a lot of my leftyness to this book.

Growing up in South Wales, I was a bit of an odd one out as I'd arrived there, dropped into the the middle of established social groups and the social groups of five year old girls are viscious places at times, I tells ya) with my north English accent and my cleverness. I was not accepted, and even though the glaring divisions diminished, that early stigma stayed. I was different and constantly reminded of it.

I was always a reader and picked up The Diary at about 8 years old I guess. The war wasn't unknown to me, but this text, this reality, of a girl not much older than me hit me like a wall. I imagined having to wear the hated yellow badge, to be publicly identified as 'marked out'. I imagined having to hide in the attic of our house, having to trust someone to find food for many extra mouths a day without being found out. Having to be so quiet. It was vivid, real - and so horrifying. No bikes, no trees to climb, no sunshine on my skin or puddles to splash through.

When I finished the book, I cried for hours, not just for her death, but for the futility of it all. The hideousness of one group claiming sovereignty over another for what boiled down to what still seems to me to be a playground view of, 'You're not like me, I don't like that. I think I am better than you, therefore I can take power over you and do with you as I will. I will disregard your humanity'.

That will to dislike others, and feel empowered to make decisions about them, for them, affecting them, based on ignorance and fear and irrational crap still lights all manner of fires in me. I can't fathom why people still think that bigotry or fascism in any degree is anything other than abhorrent. I was at a lecture by Shami Chakrabati the other day where she summed up human rights as about being equality, dignity and fairness for all - with dignity arguably the most important. Who would rescind their own dignity? No-one - but many will deny that of others.

Remembering the story of that one young girl, a blood pumping, heart beating, hormone rushing young girl, hiding, keeping quiet, being scared - it informs every decision I make. I've since sought out many other books around social and cultural politics, but that one story, that real, true story - it absolutely set me on the path to being who I am today.
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:14, closed)

that's spooky
Mine is the same book - I didn't see yours before I posted, honest!

Different reasons entirely, though. Considerably more shallow for a start ..
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Thu 15 May 2008, 16:27, closed)

Spooky indeed
It's an amazing book for so many reasons and yours are perfectly valid - it certainly gives on a different perspective.
( ancrenne doesn't eat anything that can play video games, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:35, closed)