In the Spirit of Giving

Those of you who frequent this blog know I’m highly in favor of giving books to those who have few or none at their disposal, and that I’m a huge supporter of the book fairs run by Guys Lit Wire, a blog that focuses on reviewing books that appeal to younger male readers in particular. Well, they’re hosting a book fair for the holidays, benefiting Ballou Sr. High School in Washington, D.C. The school first came to their attention last spring, at which point the school library held an abysmal one book per student enrolled — a really shameful ratio. The spring fair and some additional efforts have brought the ratio up to four books per student, but that still falls short of the American Library Association’s recommended eleven books per student.

With Thanksgiving around the corner here in the U.S., it’s a perfect time to consider what you’re truly grateful for in your life. I’m particularly grateful that I have easy access to any and all books I could ever possibly wish to read, a luxury that many people do not share, whether for financial or political reasons. So I’m donating some books to this excellent cause, and I ask that you do the same if you’re able. If a book donation is not something you can do right now, please consider boosting the signal for this school, and helping them to achieve their goals in that way.

Complete details are posted over at the Guys Lit Wire Blog, including a link to the school’s wish list of titles at Powell’s Books.