What better way to share the joy of reading with others? On the third annual World Book Night U.S., which takes place next April 23, some 25,000 volunteer book lovers will give 20 copies of a favorite book to friends and strangers--primarily light readers or non-readers or people without the means to buy books. The program is free and coordinated through bookstores, libraries and other organizations. Altogether, some 500,000 books will be given away on World Book Night, the anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 1616.
Two days ago WBN U.S. unveiled the 35 titles that book givers will be able to choose from. It's a wonderful range of titles, "the most diverse" list for WBN U.S., as executive director Carl Lennertz put it, and includes classics like Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and After the Funeral by Agatha Christie; more recent bestselling novels like Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow, Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin and Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan; memoirs like Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and Wild by Cheryl Strayed; a handful of titles geared for teen readers; a graphic novel, Same Difference by Derek Kirk Kim (the first graphic novel WBN U.S. has offered); a book in Spanish and English, When I Was Puerto Rican/Cuando Era Puertorriquena by Esmeralda Santiago--and more.
Readers can apply online to become givers, now through January 5. Among the benefits is the possibility of participating in the parties and gatherings for givers that take place in the days and weeks before World Book Night. Most important, though, is the fun of giving out books on April 23 and thereby passing on to others a reminder of the power of reading, whether it's for entertainment, to gain knowledge, to step into the shoes of others for a spell--or all those things. --John Mutter, editor-in-chief, Shelf Awareness
