Do you see what I see here?
Tag: books
the illiterate libraran, a community library in an impoverished Brazilian neighborhood
The Community Library, 18th Street. A labor of love library in Sao Goncalo, Brazil.
The house has been christened, as the big, hand-painted sign on the roof proudly announces, the Community Library, 18th Street. On busy afternoons, it’s standing room only. Patrons vie for one of the mismatched chairs, which scrape along a floor lined with discarded tiles that Leite and his friends scrounged….
Brazilians are handicapped by lack of access. Government officials say that nearly 1,000 of the country’s 5,500 municipalities have no public library. Buying a book is even less of an option….
A study in 2001 estimated that 16% of the population owns nearly 75% of all the books in Brazil — hardly surprising considering that a standard paperback routinely sells for about $15, or one-eighth of the minimum monthly salary.
Moreover, illiteracy remains high; 16 million Brazilians older than 15 cannot read or write.
[thanks jesse]
Great, read in the park!
If you’re in New York City this weekend you might want to check out the Great Read In The Park on Sunday all day. It’s apparently a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the NYTimes best-seller list and the proceeds benefit libraries and schools in New York. Clearly they’ve got some big marketing bucks behind them. I like the idea of a Gently Used, Greatly Loved Book Sale.
using your author superpowers for good (causes)
This September, Neil Gaiman and other authors you may have heard of — John Grisham, Stephen King, Dorothy Allison — are having an unusual auction. If you’re the high bidder on these eBay auctions, these authors will put your name, or the name of your choosing I assume, in their upcoming books as specified. All the proceeds go to benefit the First Amendment Project. The auction page is fun reading, this is what King is offering…
“One (and only one) character name in a novel called CELL, which is now in work and which will appear in either 2006 or 2007. Buyer should be aware that CELL is a violent piece of work, which comes complete with zombies set in motion by bad cell phone signals that destroy the human brain. Like cheap whiskey, it’s very nasty and extremely satisfying. Character can be male or female, but a buyer who wants to die must in this case be female. In any case, I’ll require physical description of auction winner, including any nickname (can be made up, I don’t give a rip).”
unfortunate children’s books and library humor
A usually-amusing photoset on Flickr of Unfortunate Children’s Books. Here’s another one on library comics, humor and illustrations. [thanks jen & steve]