If you haven't read it yet, I would recommend Les Miserables. I chose to really take my time and read a full unabridged translation (don't speak French, unfortunately.) People probably typically view me as "isolationist, individualist, and just a little bit of an asshole" but reading that book definitely made me "warmer, kinder, more sympathetic/empathetic." Sorry to plagiarize but I couldn't explain it any better than you did.