Philip Pullman’s vehement defense of public libraries continues on the eve of World Book Night. He states that the poorer communities which stand to lose more of their libraries are the ones who need them most, and this problem is beyond the comprehension of those currently in positions of power: “[Cameron &co.] come from rich backgrounds and live in places where there are nice bookshops and they just buy books when they want them.” Recent decreases in library use by adults, which are frequently cited by those in favor of the cuts, are argued by Pullman to be a result of not making them sufficiently accessible to those in need.
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I was a giver of Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights today.
I love the trilogy and have read it at least 4 times, every year I get the compulsion to read it again! My father was a science-fiction writer and translator and I was exposed to the genre as soon as I could read. I love the concept of alternative universes which share dimensions in time or space. Other than Philip Pullman, some of my favorites SF writers are Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Iain M. Banks and Ursula Le Guin. I rate Pullman among the best. My favourite of his concept in the Dark Materials trilogy is the idea of the soul standing separate from the body and being represented by an animal. It leads to some extraordinary developments and consequences.
I chose to distribute my 48 books in an estate in the Watford area (I live in central Watford). I figured that I would find there a community which may not be able to afford to buy books, may not access libraries (the central library is in the other side of town and public transport poor) and may need a bit of magic and fantasy and what a better book to encourage people to read. I was right! most people I spoke with had not heard of the book at all! A few told me that there used to be a mobile library but this has been cancelled, and some elderly people have mobility problems. I emphasised the wider readership from children to adults. Some teenagers giggled but seemed appreciative of the gift. Most people were astounded that a book was given as a gift without any conditions attached!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the day, and wished I had had more books to distribute.
I still feel the buzz! It was a brilliant idea, and I am thankful to have been a part of it. Thank you to all those who made this possible!!!
That is absolutely wonderful to hear! I wasn’t able to participate since I’m on the wrong continent, but I’m delighted that people like you were out there spreading the word and taking extra initiative in the spirit of the event. Thanks very much for sharing your experiences here.
If you’d like to stick around and connect with similarly minded people, we’d love if you joined our forum, especially since there’s a discussion thread for World Book Night and we have several other people who participated in various ways. Beyond that, we always love to have new reading enthusiasts joining the community!