Books are known to bring you the best of both worlds. With only paper and ink, they can form a story that can move mountains and urged many to make a difference. Beyond the substantial and amazing tales, they also have the power to educate and inform people about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the society. What most individuals don’t know is that books often take inspiration on the real world regardless of their fictional characteristics. There are many authors that inject different social issues in their works with the hopes of making the public aware from these things.
Social issues refer to the problem that impact the community and the populace. These present-day concerns have the power to increase the burden of everyone that lives within a society. As a result, these unfortunate individuals either strive to follow the right path or gave in to the temptation of becoming astray. With this wide array of issues that are already beyond the control of everyone due to different factors, many were affected and have taken their impact either positively or negatively.
There are many mediums that people have come up in the attempt to spread awareness and invoke initiative to slowly eliminate these problems. Authors are among the proactive people that try to eradicate these problems gradually through their remarkable tales. That said, here are among the most common social problems highlighted in books that you should know.
Poverty
This refers to the state wherein an individual or a community fall short of the finances and other resources that are essential for the basic living standards. Poverty also pertains to a person or a group who receives little to no income, which cannot provide the primary needs of humans — such as shelter, food, clothing, and water. The Face of Hunger: Reflections on a Famine in Ethiopia by Dr. Byron Conner is a great example of a book that discusses poverty along with famine in Ethiopia.
Bullying
Bullying pertains to the repeated utilization of force, threats, harassments, aggression, and other similar aspects with the purpose of dominating or scaring others. One significant requirement is the views of either the bully or others of the inequality of physical or social authority. This disparity identifies bullying from conflict. There are many books that tackle this issue, such as The Ladybug children’s book by Caroleann Rice or rather The Ladybug and the Bully Frog.
Discrimination
According to Britannica, discrimination is the social issue that shows the distinctive treatment of individuals or groups due to specific generalized characteristics, such as color, religion, gender orientation, and more. Racism is the term referring to the discrimination of race. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a YA fiction book that greatly captures what racisms is. Another remarkable book that shows a progress when it comes to gender inequality is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, where it gave female readers more choices other than marriage.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse doesn’t only pertain to drugs but also to alcohol, tobacco, and more. It commonly describes the pattern of dangerous utilization of any substances that are intoxicating and psychedelic purposes. The abuse can happened when the individual is in taking the substances in a manner that is inappropriate and unsuitable. Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker talks about the story of the author how she turned her life around after being addicted to alcohol.
Domestic Violence
You may have known someone who was beaten in their homes or have read in Big Little Lies by Liane Morriarty or other books, which is categorized as domestic violence. This social problem is defined as the abuse or violence done in a household. The most common scenario is a married or co-habiting couple physically fighting leading to one being badly hurt. This can also be in the form of marital rape, assault, and more.
Imagine living in a society full of faults and imperfections but having no idea that they exist. That would be horrible. Luckily, books are here to educate and remind everyone about the impact of these issues and the ways to gradually help the society become a better place.
Oliver’s Twist 