As much as I love books, I have to confess that I’m not a big book-buyer. I grew up in a household where reading was valued, and my siblings and I all had our own library cards. Once a week we’d walk uphill to the local library, select a stack of books, and carry them home to be devoured…I can still see the floor of our family room, strewn with more books than toys. I don’t think I really started *buying* books until college, where–as a sometime English major–I was required to read ten novels per course per semester. I still have some of those books; for years I hoarded my school-related purchases, refusing to let go even when I disliked the book or no longer needed it for class. It was mostly about *possession* and wanting to hold onto not just the feeling of finishing a good read, but the book itself–like that was proof of a kind of luxury I had never been able to attain before. A friend and I took a tour of the Brooklyn Historical Society recently, and we marveled at the library (pictured above); it’s got that magical, majestic feel of old books–and old money (it was a private library, for “members only” up until the 1980s). Now that I teach, I often get free desk copies from publishers, but my overall collection of books has diminished. I’m still a big fan of the public library, and I firmly believe that books are meant to circulate–not sit on display on my shelf like conquests (I think of hunters similarly mounting the heads of slaughtered animals on their walls). Plus I move a lot, and books are VERY heavy and expensive to pack and ship. So about five years ago, I started giving books away–I sold some to The Strand, I gave some to friends, and I took bag loads of books to the Salvation Army. But now there’s an even better option: donate your gently-read books to this amazing organization:
Alternatives For Girls
ATTN: Library
903 W. Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48208
If you look at your bookshelves, you probably have at least a few duplicates you could live without. If you’re one of those people who can’t BEAR to part with a book you own, then donate a new copy of that beloved book by visiting the AFG Library’s “wish list” on Amazon.com. Think about it–an extra $10 a month could open up the world of books to young urban women. Books saved my life when I was dealing with depression in high school, so I want to do what I can to throw a potential lifeline to someone else. Back then, I was reading Charles Dickens–imagine if I’d known about Toni Morrison or Jamaica Kincaid or James Baldwin?! Books develop the imagination, and ALL girls deserve the right to read and dream…I hope you’ll scour your shelves or grant a wish and send books to the AFG Library. More information can be found at Color Online.
Zetta,
I was reading along and nodding in agreement and smiling and then I read “AFG.” You know I’m always here. You could have warned me. I wasn’t prepared.
I was a girl who needed a lifeline, too. Teachers and books kept me dreaming.
Sometimes I get frustrated and depressed, and I’m afraid I’m not doing enough and then a friend like you does something like this.
Thank you very much,
Color Online Reader Activist
aka
L
You’re *very* welcome–it’s about time I started returning your many favors! I also sent an email to my academic friends, asking them to make donations; one particular friend is from DT, and promised to get her mom and sister and sorority involved…and I posted it on Facebook. I sort of hoped you’d be flooded with books, but it might be more of a trickle…I’ve got half a dozen here now, and will add more once I check my office bookshelves. No picture books, right–just middle grade and YA? And classics like Morrison, Walker, etc?
Many of our residents are moms. We welcome children’s books, too.
Thank you doesn’t seem adequate.
It’s more than adequate! My pile just got a little bigger…PB for the little ones!