Talk With a Fellow Human From This Library

 

The saying, “Don't judge a book by its cover,” means you should not guess the worth or value of something based on how it looks.

That message was clear at a recent event called the Human Library Project . The event took place at the Northern Virginia, or NoVa, Community College, outside of Washington. D.C.

The Human Library began 19 years ago in Denmark. It grew from a youth organization called “Stop the Violence.” Today, it is a worldwide movement.

At the NoVa event, students got the chance to learn from a person -- a “human book” -- instead of a library book.

Patricia Cooper organized the event. She said that human books celebrate diversity by telling their life stories in an easy-going setting.

“The goal of the human library is to talk to people in your community who you may otherwise not speak to because you have your own prejudices and hopefully to break down some of these barriers.”

This is the third year that NoVa has held such an event. The collection of human books included a civil rights activist¹, a scientist from the American space agency NASA, and an opera singer.

Fighting prejudices

Najeeb Baha is director of recreation and wellness at the college. He knows about dealing² with prejudice – an unfair feeling or dislike for a person or group because of race, sex or religion.

Baha has fair skin, reddish hair and an Arabic name. People are often surprised to learn he is from Afghanistan. Baha said security officers at airports often stop him because he does not look like what people see as a usual Afghan.

He also experiences prejudice when he goes to Islamic religious centers in Virginia.

Baha spoke³ about his story to NoVa student Angel Navia.

“My goal is to inform everybody about the things that I've gone through.”

Baha told Navia he thinks people should not focus so much on skin color. And, they should not judge individuals by their last name or how they speak.

Navia said the time he spent with Baha taught him a lot.

“The struggles that just come from something simple, just a name or where you’re from, and how that dictates⁵ some aspects of your life.”

Value of education

Student advisor⁶ Connie Robinson was another human book. She shared how she survived an abusive relationship.

“Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we deal with it."

Robinson said that a college education helped her get out of a terrible situation. She was able to take control of her life.

“When I talk to students, I just want them to know that whatever they're going through, you know, continue to strive⁷ for their education because it is so important.”

Learning from travel

Artist Brian Dailey was another human book. He spoke about his travels to 113 countries in seven years. Dailey said that, during his travels, he asked people he took pictures of for a one-word answer to a series of other words – such as love, freedom and war. He discovered that people in different countries often had very different reactions to the same word.

When Dailey asked people in Africa about the word "war" they used words like justice, liberation⁸ and peace. When he asked the same question to people in Syrian refugee⁹ camps, the answer was: “tears, hunger, fear, destruction.”

Dailey said people in most of the countries had a similar answer when he said the word government. Most people, he said, do not seem to like theirs very much.

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

diversity - n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

library - n. a collection of similar things

opera - n. a kind of performance in which actors sing all or most of the words of a play with music performed by an orchestra¹⁰

focus - v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

dictate⁴ - v. to make (something) necessary

aspect - n. a part of something

strive - v. to try very hard to do or achieve something

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

5 dictates   

n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• Convention dictates that a minister should resign in such a situation. 依照常规部长在这种情况下应该辞职。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He always follows the dictates of common sense. 他总是按常识行事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

7 strive   

vi.努力，奋斗，力争

参考例句：

• Don't strive merely for quantity of production.在生产中不要单纯地追求数量。
• The scientists strive for a breakthrough in cancer research.科学家们力争在癌症研究方面有个突破。

8 liberation   

n.解放，解放运动（为获得平等权利和地位的行为）

参考例句：

• We should help those who are still struggling for liberation.我们应当帮助那些仍在为独立而斗争的人们。
• Many people died during famines every year before liberation.解放前每年有许多人在饥荒中死亡。

9 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

10 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。