Who hasn’t rejected a book because the front cover looked boring; or switched coffee blends because it’s not organic, single origin, cold filtered, and shade grown?

Guilty as charged!

Every day we make many snap judgements based on appearance. Most often these aren’t harmful, but sometimes labels can be hurtful and betray underlying prejudices. We’ve recently seen an example of this play out very publicly in Australia with the taunting of Indigenous football star Adam Goodes, who has been called an “ape” and told to “get back to the zoo” by some footy fans. 

All too regularly people’s prejudices lead to discrimination. Despite being a two times Brownlow Medalist, and the 2014 Australian of the Year, Goodes wasn’t immune to discrimination either.

We often see this pattern play out with the way that poor people are treated - where they’re unjustly discriminated against on the basis of being poor. Because it’s their fault, right?

Not so. But what can be done? 

To borrow a line from lawyer Atticus Finch in the American classic To Kill A Mockingbird: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

One novel solution is human libraries!

This is where the books are literally real live people specially trained to share their personal story with readers.

Instead of checking out a book, you “borrow” a person who has stories to tell gathered from unique life experiences. It’s a bit like speed dating. You sit down opposite someone like a sex-worker, or a refugee, or someone who identifies as transgender… but unlike a book, they’re able to answer your questions and tailor the storytelling experience to you. 

This unique idea to “check out” humans started in Denmark in 2000 as a way to curb youth violence, and has since grown into an international project to promote compassion, understanding, and knowledge between people of all kinds.

It’s an opportunity to hear from a woman who grew up in South Africa under apartheid; a homosexual man living with HIV; a refugee from the Sudan; and from survivors of female genital mutilation.

In parts of the world the project has been so successful that some cities, including Hobart Human Library, have set up permanent award-winning libraries.

What a novel way to challenge stereotypes and prejudices and ward off discrimination.  

Now that’s the sort of book I’d like to sit back and “read” with a cup of organic, single origin, cold filtered, and shade grown coffee in hand!

By Liesel Maddock, project manager at Global Poverty Project, with contributions from Jeremy Picone.