The Human Library: Unleashing Living Stories

Human Library Explained in a Minute by Human Library Oranization

When I first stumbled upon this concept some ten-plus years ago, I was instantly hooked. One day I’d like to run a human library. Would you come visit?

In a world where information flows freely through the vast web of the internet, and technology offers us virtual access to knowledge at our fingertips, the concept of the Human Library stands as a unique and profoundly impactful approach to understanding human experiences and fostering empathy. The Human Library is not a traditional library filled with books and shelves; rather, it is a living, breathing library where people are the books, and their life stories become the pages that readers can explore. This innovative approach to human interaction, education, and community building has gained traction worldwide, promoting understanding, breaking stereotypes, and encouraging conversations that lead to profound personal growth and societal change.

History of the Human Library

The idea of the Human Library was born in the late 1990s in Copenhagen, Denmark, through the collaborative efforts of Ronni Abergel, Dany Abergel, Christoffer Erichsen, and Asma Mouna. The founders envisioned a space where human beings could become open books, sharing their life experiences and perspectives with others. Their primary goal was to challenge stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination by fostering meaningful dialogues between diverse individuals.

The first official Human Library event took place in 2000 at the Roskilde Festival, an annual music and arts festival in Denmark. During this event, visitors could “borrow” a human book for a limited period, usually around 30 minutes, engaging in candid conversations about the book’s life experiences, beliefs, and challenges. The concept proved to be a resounding success, sparking interest and enthusiasm among participants and paving the way for the Human Library to expand beyond its Danish origins.

Human Library Movement

At the core of the Human Library lies the belief that storytelling and face-to-face interactions have the power to create understanding, empathy, and positive change. Human beings are complex, and each person’s life story represents a unique narrative worth exploring. By listening to these stories, readers can gain new perspectives, challenge preconceived notions, and break down barriers that divide communities and societies.

The Human Library aims to address stereotypes and prejudices related to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and other social identities. Through authentic human connections, readers have the opportunity to learn from the lived experiences of others and overcome ignorance and fear, ultimately promoting tolerance, respect, and inclusivity.

This transformative experience not only benefits the readers but also empowers the “human books” who can find a sense of empowerment through sharing their stories, being seen beyond their labels, and knowing they contribute to building a more understanding and compassionate society.

Borrow a Human Book

Creating a Human Library requires careful planning, organization, and community involvement. Below are the essential steps to set up a successful Human Library:

1. Define the Purpose and Theme:

Begin by defining the purpose of your Human Library and the specific stereotypes or prejudices you aim to address. Determine the theme that will guide the selection of human books and ensure a focused and impactful event.

2. Build a Diverse Team:

Assemble a diverse organizing team that represents different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. A variety of viewpoints will enhance the planning process and ensure a more inclusive event.

3. Engage with the Community:

Reach out to local organizations, community groups, educational institutions, and individuals to generate interest and support for the Human Library. Collaboration and partnerships are crucial for a successful event.

4. Recruit Human Books:

Identify potential human books who are willing to share their personal stories. Recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences, making sure to respect their boundaries and comfort levels.

5. Training and Support:

Provide training and support for the human books to help them effectively share their stories and handle potentially sensitive or challenging conversations. Offer guidance on boundaries and self-care during and after the event.

6. Venue and Logistics:

Secure an appropriate venue that can accommodate the event’s size and layout. Arrange for comfortable seating and privacy to facilitate one-on-one conversations between human books and readers.

7. Implement a Borrowing System:

Design a borrowing system that allows readers to select human books they would like to engage with. Allocate specific time slots for conversations to ensure a smooth flow of the event.

8. Supportive Environment:

Create a safe and respectful environment for all participants. Implement guidelines for behavior and ensure a supportive atmosphere free from judgment and hostility.

9. Facilitate Conversations:

Have facilitators available to assist readers and human books during their conversations. Facilitators can intervene if discussions become too challenging or guide participants towards deeper understanding.

10. Post-Event Evaluation:

Conduct post-event evaluations to gather feedback from participants, human books, and readers. Learn from the experience to improve future Human Library events.

Human Library Conversation

The Human Library stands as a powerful testament to the enduring potential of human connection and storytelling to dismantle prejudices, promote empathy, and foster social cohesion. From its humble beginnings in Denmark to its global expansion, the Human Library continues to inspire and transform communities by challenging the status quo and encouraging authentic conversations between individuals from diverse walks of life. As we navigate an ever-changing world, the Human Library remains a beacon of hope, reminding us of the immense power we hold as compassionate and open-minded human beings, capable of rewriting our collective narratives for a more inclusive and understanding future.

Let me know your thoughts on this concept. You can reach me at hello@aprilbell.com

Blog Post Author:

April Bell is a Professional Personal Historian and founder at Tree of Life Legacies. She has been operating her storytelling and wisdom keeping project in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the United States since 2008. April utilizes her innate skills as an active listener to connect with others and draw out their stories and authentic, heartfelt values to be preserved and shared for generations to come. Her clients include individuals, families and organizations who value the power of story. In an effort to provide the gift of video storytelling to the world at large via a simple, fun and easy to use tool, she and her business partner, iPhone app coder Urs Brauchli, released StoryCatcher® for iPhone. Available on the Apple App Store.

Spoken word version

In the spring of 2013, I stumbled into the most powerful bit of magic I have ever known. Ever since I can remember, I’ve searched for ways to find magic in everyday life. I’ve dabbled in all sorts of metaphysical concepts, from reading tarot cards to practicing mindfulness. But on this particular day, all my seeking would coalesce in a singular moment, leaving me forever changed.

In the early fall of 2012, I was likely the most physically fit I’ve ever been. My best friend had signed us up for a Tough Mudder race in Lake Tahoe. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a 12 mile obstacle course out in the woods designed by special forces types. It’s created for people who want to push their physical and mental limits. It’s also built around teamwork and camaraderie, which makes it a lot of fun.

In anticipation of all we’d have to navigate, I‘d trained hard and it paid off. On race day, my body effortlessly carried me through the experience. It was truly one of the most fun days of my life!

So now fast forward to the following spring; I’m out on a trail run near my house with a different group of friends, and I’m bringing up the rear. Barely into the first mile, my legs feel like lead, my breathing is labored, and I’m wondering what the hell has happened to my fun and fit body that ran this same five mile route dozens of times while I trained for that Tough Mudder race?

To put it lightly, I’m not having fun.

As I’m trudging along the trail, staring at my shoes as they drag across the dirt in what seems like slow motion, I’m listening to this internal dialogue utter a litany of reasons as to why and how I’m failing.

As I’m trudging along the trail, staring at my shoes as they drag across the dirt in what seems like slow motion, I’m listening to this internal dialogue utter a litany of reasons as to why and how I’m failing. It’s saying things like;

“Look at you, you’re so out of shape!”

“You’re never going to catch up to them!”

“Last year you ran this route like it was nothing. It’s going to take you forever to get back to that level of fitness.”

“You are lame for being so lazy and allowing this to happen.”

On and on it went.

And then, all of the sudden, I hear a different voice interrupt, “What if you notice what’s good right now?”

It was like that moment when you hear a needle scratch across a vinyl record. It really caught my attention. And I was like, “Oh yea….being grateful, hmmmm….”

I had a daily gratitude practice during this time, which I would use to help start my day off on a positive note. It was pretty simple really; each morning while sipping my coffee, I’d write down 10 things I’m grateful for.

I had a daily gratitude practice during this time, which I would use to help start my day off on a positive note. It was pretty simple really; each morning while sipping my coffee, I’d write down 10 things I’m grateful for.

I decide to listen to “the nicer voice.” I lift my head, look around, and begin to internally enumerate all that’s good about the moment.

“I’m grateful for this amazing spring day,” the grass on the hills was green and lush, there were wild flowers popping up here and there, and the breeze felt like a delightful warm kiss on my skin.

“I’m grateful that I have a group of friends I can run around outside with,”

“I’m grateful for my strong healthy body and it’s ability to carry me along this trail.”

Pretty quickly, I notice I’m feeling more connected to nature and my friends, and decide to allow myself to enjoy the run, no matter how I perform.

Not long after, I catch up with buddies and we chat and joke about different things for the remaining four miles on the trail.

When we finish, our time keeper, Aldrich, notes our time at 1 hour 10 minutes. And I say, “Wait, what?!? Are you SURE??”

He says, “Yea, I set my timer when we started. See,…” — he holds up his phone showing our total time. One hour, ten minutes.

I couldn’t believe it! My average time running that trail when I was in what I considered ‘good shape’ was 1-hour 15-minutes. We’d finished a full five minutes FASTER than my “in-shape” average!

I couldn’t believe it! My average time running that trail when I was in what I considered ‘good shape’ was 1-hour 15-minutes. We’d finished a full five minutes FASTER than my “in-shape” average!

After that first mile, I hadn’t struggled a single bit, I just had fun!

In that moment, I saw how all the times I had struggled while running that trail in the past were for absolutely nothing. It was all in my head!!

My next thought was this sort of gestalt around all the other places I tend to find struggle in my life. What if I could just choose to be present, enjoy my experiences and have things work out BETTER than when I’m ‘pushing’ or criticizing myself?

That, my friends, would be pure magic!

Blog Post Author:

April Bell is a Professional Personal Historian and founder at Tree of Life Legacies. She has been operating her storytelling and wisdom keeping project in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the United States since 2008. April utilizes her innate skills as an active listener to connect with others and draw out their stories and authentic, heartfelt values to be preserved and shared for generations to come. Her clients include individuals, families and organizations who value the power of story. In an effort to provide the gift of video storytelling to the world at large via a simple, fun and easy to use tool, she and her business partner, iPhone app coder Urs Brauchli, released StoryCatcher® for iPhone. Available on the Apple App Store.

My mom really enjoys the holiday season. I should say seasons. She likes all the holidays. She loves to go all out in December, though. Which inspires my brother, his family, and myself to really enjoy it, too. We have a unique tradition we celebrate that has become a family favorite over time. It’s our way of honoring our own ancient heritage and modern traditions. It’s a nice mash up for a modern family seeking meaning inside the commercialized societal traditions we are ‘encouraged’ to celebrate. I’ll just leave that one there. You can fill in the blank as to your view on how we’re ‘encouraged.’

For us, it all goes off the rails pretty quickly in regard to fitting with popular culture’s expectations. My brother, his wife, and my niece are practicing Nichiren Buddhists. My niece is Japanese-American, and my sister-in-law is Japanese. My brother has been practicing buddhism for thirty-five years now. I tend to find my own spiritual solace and connection in nature; it’s a large part of my life and deeply important to me. It feeds my soul. My mom hasn’t set foot in a Christian Church service for likely 40 years, but she still reveres the traditions she grew up with. She’s not alone, we enjoy it, too.

Ancient Heritage

Her parents, my grandparents, were of Nordic descent – Danish and Finnish. As a family, we’ve always felt very connected to our Viking and Scandinavian roots. I was lucky enough to know and remember my Finnish great-grandmother, whom we called Mumu. She came to America on her own when she was just 13 years old. She passed away when I was five, but I recall her ‘babushka-like’ presence, and visiting her house in Berkeley that had an ice box for the refrigerator and a stove that was wood burning in her kitchen.

I recall her ‘babushka-like’ presence, and visiting her house in Berkeley that had an ice box for the refrigerator and a stove that was wood burning in her kitchen.

My mom is an artist, and while I was growing up in the ‘70s, she would make our family’s group holiday gift each year with her own two hands. All who received her creations would oooh and ahhh over her creativity. One year she created this really unforgettable framed piece of art. She had to drive all the way to Vallejo to procure her main implement, a large fresh caught fish with its head intact. This fish also had to be of a “pleasing” shape and the right length. With her artist’s implement, the 12 or so inch fish, she applied ink all over one side of its body and then used it as a stamp onto a piece of rectangular tinfoil. What was produced was a really cool and detailed impression of the fish on the foil. You could see each scale, and most cool of all, it’s eye gazing out at you. She then matted and framed it, and that was the gift. She made all kinds of other interesting things over the years, stained glass windows, ceramics, and so on; but that fish sticks out in my mind.

Modern Traditions

Fast forward to more recent years and her artistic holiday creations have morphed to be quite culinary. These days we begin the holiday season by celebrating Santa Lucia Day, which for us, consists of drinking glögg in candlelight, feasting on my mom’s smorgasbord, and listening to Big Band music from the ‘30s and ‘40s while we trim her Christmas tree. This tradition is so layered for all of us, and I believe it’s the favorite party of the season for all.

These days we begin the holiday season by celebrating Santa Lucia Day, which for us, consists of drinking glögg in candlelight, feasting on my mom’s smorgasbord, and listening to Big Band music from the ‘30s and ‘40s.

My mom takes the opportunity to prepare this amazing smorgasbord spread. Center stage is the fish. She leans into old-world traditions as she’s able, while weaving in her own modern touches. She picks up salted herring from Nordic House (sadly closing its brick and mortar doors at the end of 2021) and spends the days leading up to the party making us three kinds of pickled herring. Also served is havarti and gjetost cheeses, pickled cucumbers, smoked salmon salad, rodkal (pickled red cabbage), along with a divine smattering of other bite sized delights. It’s festive and fun, and tasty, too.

It doesn’t stop with the food. She has also collected a wide assortment of Scandinavia themed plates and decor over her lifetime, so the whole candle-lit scene holds a lovely Nordic vibe.

Glögg is mulled wine; spiced, warmed, and delish. The best part is when we all toast our first sips of glögg, strongly pronouncing, “skøl!,” as we make eye-contact with each person. I feel in that moment our ancestors are conjured, as we drink to their memory and to our own health and connection.

I feel in that moment our ancestors are conjured, as we drink to their memory and to our own health and connection.

Santa Lucia Day, which falls on December 13, was the original solstice celebration date and is my chance to reflect on my own ancient heritage and modern traditions. One of the things I love is how this family feast gets me in the mindset of honoring the coming Winter Solstice, the longest night, in the week prior to its actual occurrence. I take the opportunity to go out in nature and reflect on the year prior and ponder what seeds I’d like to plant for the coming year. What ways do you allow yourself to stop and reflect on the previous year? Do you have any of your own rituals or practices? Are there ways in which you weave your own ancient heritage and modern traditions?

What ways do you allow yourself to stop and reflect on the previous year? Do you have any of your own rituals or practices? Are there ways in which you weave your own ancient heritage and modern traditions?

Below is a StoryCatcher® video I made a handful of years ago at our Santa Lucia Day party where you can see the smorgasbord and hear a little more about the tradition 

What meaning or connection do traditions bring to your life?

Blog Post Author:

April Bell is a Professional Personal Historian and founder at Tree of Life Legacies. She has been operating her storytelling and wisdom keeping project in the San Francisco Bay Area and across the United States since 2008. April utilizes her innate skills as an active listener to connect with others and draw out their stories and authentic, heartfelt values to be preserved and shared for generations to come. Her clients include individuals, families and organizations who value the power of story. In an effort to provide the gift of video storytelling to the world at large via a simple, fun and easy to use tool, she and her business partner, iPhone app coder Urs Brauchli, released StoryCatcher® for iPhone in the Fall of 2013. Available on the Apple App Store.