I will now freely admit that I was entirely too intimidated to take an introductory philosophy course when I was in college. I wasn't entirely sure what philosophy was, but it definitely sounded scary. I figured it was beyond my ken, just not for mere mortals like me, but only for the incredibly brilliant few. It seemed entirely too hard, too mysterious, too arcane, and too boring--and I was secretly in awe of those who voluntarily took philosophy and even seemed to like it!
It was only when our family discovered Sophie's World, a young adult fantasy novel about the history of philosophy that I finally could finally overcome my fear of philosophy and discover that it was truly fascinating stuff. I read it aloud to both daughters, a short chapter or so at a time, and we quickly found ourselves engaged and immersed in a mysterious but fascinating world.
It's rather hard to describe the book. Essentially, Sophie is something of a 20th century Alice-in-Wonderland. She's leading a more or less normal life, attending school, doing all the normal sorts of things that young teenage girls do, when suddenly mysterious letters appear in her mailbox, drawing her into a mysterious and fascinating alternate world, which introduces her--and the readers--to philosophers from the ancient Greeks to the present.
(Once again, Sophie's World was another book we found at the Open Door Bookstore--it was on display with a handwritten note by a store staff member who had loved it. It's likely I never would have discovered it otherwise. Independent bookstores like the Open Door whose staff love books are treasures!)
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