Tuesday, April 23, 2013

World Book Night



 
Spreading the love of reading, person to person

This evening, Tuesday, April 23, approximately 25,000 volunteers will give away free books to light or non-readers in 6,200 towns and cities across the U.S. The goal is to encourage more adults to read. Books will be distributed in diverse places such as nursing homes, U.S. military bases, mass transit systems, food pantries and hospitals.

Books for this event are chosen ahead of time by an independent panel of booksellers and librarians and must meet certain criteria. For instance, books should be easily available and in paperback. This year’s list consists of around thirty contemporary and classic books representing a range of genres. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline, Bossypants by Tina Fey, and Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 are some of the titles that will be distributed. These books are specially produced and not for resale. Publishers pay the production cost and authors contribute by waiving their royalties.

Volunteer “givers” who want to hand out books need to submit an application well in advance of World Book Night. Applications are vetted and givers chosen based in part on location and commitment to handing out books to light or non-readers. Then, a week before the event, they pick up a box of twenty of the same book at a bookstore or library close to their home. Why twenty of the same book and not a selection? Organizers want the person who hands out the book to have read it, love it, and be passionate when speaking about the book.
 
World Book Night is celebrated every year on April 23 because it is UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) International Day of the Book. It is also Shakespeare’s Birthday as well as the day author Miguel de Cervantes died.

Have you taken part in World Book Night? What is your favorite book that you would like everyone to read?

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For more information go to:

U.S.

U.K. and Ireland

Germany
http://welttag-des-buches.de/

13 comments:

  1. What an interesting idea, and one I had not heard of. I wonder how many of the books are read and how many of the recipients read other books.

    As a reader it always surprises me when I visit someone's house and see no evidence that they read anything.

    ~ Jim

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  2. I've never heard of it either, Kara. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I can't imagine a world without books or how people get through the day without reading. Nonreaders don't value reading and consider it a waste of time. To me that shows an incredible lack of depth.

    My kids don't read much. Sometimes I wonder about the era in which they grew up. Video games took hold during the 1990s, which my son embraced as a teenager. Neither has time for games or reading since they work all the time. At least they picked up one good habit from me. They both go to the gym and work out on their off hours.

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  3. Thanks so much for telling us about this event. I'm going to see if I can get our community involved next year!

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  4. Hi Kara,
    Thanks for sharing the news about this amazing event. What a wonderfully eclectic selection of books given away - everything from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court to Salvage the Bones.
    Shari

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  5. That's a good question, Jim. There's a page on the World Book Night website with personal experiences from the participants but I don't know if they track the numbers.

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  6. E.B., I hadn't hear of this either until I received an email from my local library.

    Maybe today’s kids would read a story if it was 140 characters like a tweet. That would be a challenge for a short story writer.

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  7. Paula, I hope you are able to get your community involved with World Book Night. I would like to be a “giver” one year.

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  8. Shari, I was impressed with the wide selection of books, too. There are some that I haven't read and now they are on my TBR list.

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  9. I hadn't heard of this event, but I know there was something similar a few years ago that maybe is still going on. It was a pass it on movement where after you've read a book - mostly paperbacks, I think, you would leave it in a public place; a bus stop, a coffee shop, the airport, etc. for someone else to pick up and read.

    I can't imagine a life without books and reading, either, but of my four kids - and I read to them, too, - only the oldest devoured books like I did. The other three claim they don't have time. As for other young people, when I'm waiting for a plane and especially on a plane when all devices have to be turned off, I do see a lot of people reading books, young ones, too.

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  10. I have heard of this before and it is an excellent idea.

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  11. Very cool idea. Thanks for letting us know.

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  12. I've always wanted to take part in World book Night and give away books, but it always seems to conflict with something I already have on my calendar. Maybe next year!

    Thanks for giving this really worthy project more exposure, Kara!

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  13. Gloria, I hadn’t heard of it before but the pass it on movement sounds like a neat idea. I leave current magazines in public places for other people to read. Maybe I should leave paperback books, too.

    I agree that World Book Night is a terrific event, Warren and Carla!

    Linda, I'm impressed how many volunteers take part in the event. It must be a great feeling to share a love of reading by handing out books.

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