Snoopiness... or empathy?!

Dreams of trespass : tales of a harem girlhood by Fatima Mernissi.

Now the word harem sounds titillating, but really is just refers to being sequestered from the world. In this autobiography, eight year old Fatima contrasts her cloistered life with that of her male cousin, who is allowed outside the house walls. The house is in Morocco in the 1940's. Tradition versus change, colonialism, and the difference among womens' lives are explored. There are vivid scenes that I remember six years after we read this in book club. Recommended if you like descriptions of childhood, developing feminism, and different cultures.

This curiosity about others' lives. My favourite poem, The Waste Land has this line:
I have heard the key
Turn in the door once and turn once only

The same impulse that has me imagining lives other than my own leads me to novels, and to Facebook! Over time, I get a sense of what is important in peoples' lives by what they post about. I stay connected with people I wouldn't normally talk with. I'm hearing their stories.