“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” – C.S. Lewis
This blog is meant to be an interdisciplinary site of creativity and introspection. With each post, I will review one or two books (non-fiction or fiction) and write some reflections on the ways in which the book(s) and their content relate to the field of workplace and school investigations. Some of the non-fiction books, for example, will focus on the sociology of implicit bias, or the psychology of memory; some of the literary books will provide fictional examples of bias in the workplace, or of experiences with harassment or discrimination. Each post will then extrapolate some meaning from the work that can be applied to the practice of law and investigations. This first blog post is meant to introduce my reasoning and philosophy for starting this blog in the first place.
Personally, I have always loved reading, and reading has always played an immensely impactful role in my educational and professional life. During my undergraduate studies, I majored in English and Spanish (with a minor in French). After graduating from college, I spent a little under a year interning at PEN America in New York City. PEN America is a non-profit organization dedicated simultaneously to supporting literature and the arts (giving out annual PEN literary prizes that are held in great esteem by the literary world); and advocating for free expression through national advocacy, and international human rights work. In many ways, this internship experience was perfect for me, as it seamlessly bridged my interests in literature with my eventual desire to pursue a career in law.
When my internship came to an end, I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a two-year master’s program in Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico (“UNM”), where I held two concentrations: one in Latin American Literature, and one in Human Rights Studies. During my graduate studies, I had the good fortune of holding a graduate assistantship that allowed me to work part-time at the university’s Latin American & Iberian Institute (“LAII”). My job was to write regular book reviews for the LAII’s blog on K-12 education. I reviewed children’s books that focused on themes of multiculturalism and immigration (among other themes), and provided resources for Albuquerque’s K-12 teachers on creative ways for implementing the books into their lessons and curriculum.
Ever since I was legally allowed to work (at 15 years old, in New York State at the time), I’ve held various jobs (as a grocery store cashier, coffee house barista, lifeguard, swim coach, waitress, caterer, and dog-walker), which is one of the many reasons, I think, that I was eventually led to a career in labor and employment law. Of my many pre-law jobs, working as a book reviewer and blog writer was by far my favorite (with dog-walking a close second).
Many lawyers start off as children with a love of reading and an aptitude for writing; many of them also major in English or a similar humanities field before attending law school. And many lawyers, me included, have found ourselves losing the habit of reading, the greater we advance in our legal professions.
The purpose of this blog, in essence, is to make the case that the habit of reading and consuming literature makes us better lawyers and better people. Numerous studies have shown that reading increases empathy and imagination; makes us stronger, more effective leaders (with greater memory, attention, critical thinking and analytical skills); and improves our mental health by decreasing symptoms of stress and increasing feelings of happiness1. Some studies have even shown, remarkably, that reading increases our physical health and overall life span2.
As lawyers, it follows, then, that the consumption of literature and interdisciplinary works makes us more empathetic, more imaginative, less stressed, physically healthier, and more alert, all of which, in turn, make us better at our jobs. As investigators in particular, empathy helps us build rapport with interviewees, and strike a neutral and balanced tone in our reports by considering all perspectives; imagination grants us an open mind to evaluate each new case with a blank and neutral slate; decreased stress makes us more lucid and less biased; increased memory and attention allows us to hold many different facts and details (sometimes from many different matters) in our minds at once; and increased critical thinking and analytical skills allow us to craft sophisticated analyses that we ultimately present to our clients as findings.
In the blog posts that follow, I will review various books, from non-fiction texts on implicit bias, psychology, and memory, to fictional works from around the world. I’ll group some books together, focusing on specific employment industries (medicine, science, education, entertainment, meatpacking), or specific identities and legally protected categories; and even explore the recent phenomenon of banned books (looking at how these issues might impact our school investigations and local education law). Ultimately, this blog is meant to be informative and enriching, as well as fun and uplifting, for both me and my readers. Enjoy!
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