Survey question: WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO READ IF YOU WERE/ARE HOMELESS?
Last week at work I met the city's new Homelessness & Vulnerable Liaison officer--a good guy who hands out water and shoes and stuff. I asked him if the people he meets want something to read. (I remember how BORED I was walking for weeks on pilgrimage--I even tried to read a book in French
--AND I DON"T READ FRENCH!)
Anyway, he said, "Probably! I'll start asking around."
I decided I could start asking around myself.
An hour ago I was walking downtown---it's Farmers Market Day on the mall downtown--and I saw a couple young women signing for $, and one of them was reading a book!
I was so excited to stop and ask them my question:
if they thought other folks living out/rough (they were "just passing through"--you know, with a dog and backpacks) would like free books?
"YES!!!" they both said. "A lot of people out here are really smart because they're always reading," they said. "There's a lot of time..."
What would people like to read? I asked.
"Philosophy," they said. "One guy we know reads Nietszche."
And one of them read out the name of the book she was reading--she'd bought it at Salvation Army:
The Freedom Manifesto: How to Free Yourself from Anxiety, Fear, Mortgages, Money, Guilt, Debt, Government, Boredom, Supermarkets, Bills, Melancholy, Pain, Depression, Work, and Waste.
I laughed. "So, like, books about . . . everything," I said.
.
They laughed too. "Yeah! But fiction too..."
My answer:Maybe a Charles Dickens novel--he's NOT my favorite author, actually, but he constructs long, involving plots, good for reading aloud--the setting is distant enough in time to add interest, but the human types are familiar--and his annoying flaws (some ridiculous or disturbing caricatures) would make for good conversations.
Last week at work I met the city's new Homelessness & Vulnerable Liaison officer--a good guy who hands out water and shoes and stuff. I asked him if the people he meets want something to read. (I remember how BORED I was walking for weeks on pilgrimage--I even tried to read a book in French
--AND I DON"T READ FRENCH!)
Anyway, he said, "Probably! I'll start asking around."
I decided I could start asking around myself.
An hour ago I was walking downtown---it's Farmers Market Day on the mall downtown--and I saw a couple young women signing for $, and one of them was reading a book!
I was so excited to stop and ask them my question:
if they thought other folks living out/rough (they were "just passing through"--you know, with a dog and backpacks) would like free books?
"YES!!!" they both said. "A lot of people out here are really smart because they're always reading," they said. "There's a lot of time..."
What would people like to read? I asked.
"Philosophy," they said. "One guy we know reads Nietszche."
And one of them read out the name of the book she was reading--she'd bought it at Salvation Army:
The Freedom Manifesto: How to Free Yourself from Anxiety, Fear, Mortgages, Money, Guilt, Debt, Government, Boredom, Supermarkets, Bills, Melancholy, Pain, Depression, Work, and Waste.
I laughed. "So, like, books about . . . everything," I said.
.
They laughed too. "Yeah! But fiction too..."
My answer:Maybe a Charles Dickens novel--he's NOT my favorite author, actually, but he constructs long, involving plots, good for reading aloud--the setting is distant enough in time to add interest, but the human types are familiar--and his annoying flaws (some ridiculous or disturbing caricatures) would make for good conversations.
Truly in favor of this!! There may even be persons who would love to have a book to read but do not feel they can spend the limited funds they have on a book.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a box of books which they could choose from. Don't forget ones for the younger ages.
Here many of the homeless/transient folks will use the public library to read the newspapers or even books.
Kirsten
My boss doesn't want us to give things away free AT THE STORE, and it's work to distribute books-- we do currently also give books to the Women's Prison Book Project and a couple places that distributes free books to kids, and one volunteer collects loads for her church sales.
ReplyDeleteYes, the libraries here serve huge numbers of homeless people, but you have to have an address to get a library card to check anything out.
There are also lots of Little Free Library boxes around town---but not so many where people without addresses congregate.
WHOOPS---I am happy to say I'm wrong about library cards!
ReplyDelete"The address of the library where the patron with NO PERMANENT ADDRESS is applying is used as the patron’s address in his/her account."
I just tried to find out if our library does the same but will need to check at the desk. I go into my library so much the desk librarians know me by name.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I think libraries are becoming more than a place of books.
Check out the hoopla an op-ed at Forbes created saying Amazon could replace libraries!
https://qz.com/1334123/forbes-deleted-an-op-ed-arguing-that-amazon-should-replace-libraries/
Kirsten
I was thinking Stoic philosophy. I think that almost anything else would sadden me more than I could bear.
ReplyDeleteWow is this a great idea! Next time I am at the library I will ask what they are doing. As we are a small town the homeless use the library as a place to get warm or cool during harsh weather. We used to have a great store in town called Half Price Books. They donated all unwanted books to several prisons in Ohio. Bravo Fresca!!
ReplyDeleteMICHAEL: Oh, yes! Excellent choice! I would (do sometimes do) take comfort from the Stoics.
ReplyDeletePOTTER: We have several Half-Price books here too---I wonder if that's a national policy of theirs to donate to prisons.
Good one, anyway.