Humans’ attention span keeps getting shorter over the years. A recent study showed that the average attention span of an adult is currently eight seconds. This means that it can be challenging for some people to sit through a long book, even if they want to integrate a reading habit into their routine. In this article, you’ll be introduced to three short and engaging books that could ease your way into reading or make taking on a book a little less daunting.
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas By Ursula K. Le Guin
Have you ever imagined what a utopian town would look like? Everyone is happy and content. They cannot imagine how life can be any better, and they will go the extra mile to keep it this way. Well, Omelas is exactly that place. But Omelas also hides a terrifying secret underneath its utopian facade. There is a kid who is locked up. We don’t know the gender of this kid or anything further about them other than the fact that they live in harrowing conditions, and people in this town often visit them just to hit them or stare at them disgustedly.
The people of this town have always known about the existence of this kid, but they accept the harm and suffering they are living through because they are convinced that their happiness depends solely on the kid’s misery. They simply decide to ignore the unusual practice entirely to maintain their peace of mind. However, some people cannot live with this disturbing fact, and they decide to leave. They cannot continue living in a place that relies its entire existence on the torture of an innocent child.
The author does not want the readers to think of any specific place when reading about Omelas. It instead invites the reader to be introspective about themselves and their morality. Can you ever accept your joy being built upon someone’s doomed fate? You will keep coming back to certain passages of this book simply because of the way the author presents certain ideas. If you want something that you can, quite literally, finish in one sitting, this book is your go-to.
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostoevsky
In St. Petersburg, our narrator finds himself wandering the streets every night. He is devoted to one truth: Nothing ever matters. Everything is meaningless, including his life. And he wants to end it once and for all. The idea is not new or recent by any means; he has been entertaining it for so long. But for some reason, the universe intervenes with his plan each time.
Tonight, he stumbles across a little girl who is lost and asks him for help. He rudely refuses to do so. And although she insists, he is still extremely mean to her until he makes her cry and leave. Interestingly, this incident makes him feel strange. He is feeling guilty. But why is he feeling guilty over anything or anyone if nothing and no one matters? This encounter leads to a chain of events that alters the perspective this man has on life entirely. The young girl not only saves him from taking his life that night but also offers him a refreshing perspective.
Life is hard. However, sometimes we are overly negative about things, and this affects us greatly without us even noticing. This book was a wake-up call on that front. What we give to the world is what we receive. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a short but very memorable read.
The Lottery By Shirley Jackson
Winning the lottery can be a surreal experience that only a few are lucky to experience. Well, in this book, you might prefer being unlucky. It is a lottery that nobody wants to win. Every year on the 27th of June, this small village conducts a public lottery. The premise sounds lighthearted at first, but something begins to feel terribly wrong with this annual tradition. Everyone sounds hesitant, scared, and anxious. It is quickly revealed that this tradition is not only conducted annually to keep the tradition alive but also because it is linked to a strange belief. The winner will be sacrificed, so the village will have a good harvest.
It is a creepy read. The herd mentality in the narrative is beyond unsettling. No one in this village really understands the roots of this tradition, but they are terrified of violating it because everyone else supposedly believes it is the right thing to do. They all despise it, but they still conform to it because everyone else does. Is right and wrong subjective?
This book has been included in the curriculum of many educational systems across the years, so you definitely might come across someone who reads it. It could spark an interesting conversation as it has a paradoxical but realistic plot line that, even years later, is still applicable in different life circumstances.
Conclusion
Life is always rushing by us, and so many different forms of media are competing for our attention. Sometimes it can be hard to rekindle or start a reading habit. These books could all be read in a very short amount of time. They are perfect to use to find your reading rhythm at first. Reading should be enjoyable, so find the pace that suits you and go from there!
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