Books Make a Difference

Books have been a constant in my life, from my earliest memories. The sheer pleasure of rich, evocative illustrations, the ability to journey on the words, the skills and knowledge acquired tangentially have all combined to create how I think and what I do today, fifty five years on.

For children, books are crucial to developing confidence, validation and having plain old fun. I remember the jolt of astonishment, and then pride, I felt when I realized that being smart could actually be something that impressed others. Shallow, I know, but such a kick. My childhood friend Noel and I had gone to the library together. He didn’t know how to look things up in the card catalog and was dead awed that I did. It was hard not to gloat as I showed him how, but I was kind. We were ten and I knew in that instant I never would be one of those girls who played dumb or “girly”. I was smart and would flaunt it. And books were a fundamental part of maintaining that edge.

Kids who don’t have the joy of owning their own books are automatically at a disadvantage.

BlogHer, a site for women who blog, and BookRenter.com are combining to provide free books to children who wouldn’t ordinarily have them. This program is organized through the non-profit organization, First Book. To donate a book, all you have to do is leave a comment after the post in this link that answers the question “What book has had the greatest impact on your life?”. That’s it. A few words from you=a book for him or her. How easy is that!?

And by my blog post, another book will be donated as well. I am so happy to be able to take part in this project, which will have impact for hundreds of children for years to come.

My answer to the question is this:

I worked my way through the biography section of the children's department in our library alphabetically. Those life stories had an incredible impact on me, as almost all of them were tales of success and triumph over adversity.

If I had to narrow it down, it would be "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller. I lost an eye when I was four and was profoundly afraid of going completely blind. Her courage and confidence inspired me, eased my fear and gave me a sense of being able to accomplish anything that has lasted all these years.



Read more about it:

Helen Keller