2012 March - Better World Books Blog - Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Community Outreach & more

Funds Raised for Global Literacy:

$10,184,799.20

Books Re-Used or Recycled:

63,271,794

Aussie Actress Brings Books to Zambia

Posted by Erin on 03.30.2012 at 9:51 am

Guest post by Australian actress Katherine Wallace

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I was a rebellious child. When politely asked to stop reading and put away my book for such trifles as going to bed, I would stoutly refuse. This initially resulted in forcible removal of the book and prompt lights out.

Fortunately, I have never been one for giving up. I decided the fittest course of action was to surreptitiously sneak it under my pillow with the handy addition of a flashlight. I made sure to do so well before bedtime then bade a sweetly innocent good night. Nobody suspected a thing. With a small thrill of breaking the rules pulsing in my veins, I silently whipped out both book and flashlight. I carefully lifted the pages open with one finger and flicked my little light toward the words.

Have your say » | Tagged From our Friends

Sherlock Holmes is the Man in Michiana

Posted by Erin on 03.28.2012 at 9:20 am

Can you imagine in everyone in your town read the same book, the same month, and got together to discuss and enjoy it? Sounds like a Utopian feat – but that does not stop One Book, One Michiana (Indiana) from trying to bring their community together through literature.

Every year for the past three years, Better World Books has donated 100 copies of their featured book to the program. Those books get handed out to local organizations such as the Center for the Homeless, Robinson Community Learning Center (our first non-profit partner), St. Margaret’s House, and the Kroc center.

The following is a guest blog from the organizers of One Book, One Michiana:

“Yes, Watson! You have deduced correctly, my friend! It is indeed time to put in an appearance for One Book, One Michiana!”

“But Holmes,” sputtered the usually cheerful Watson, “What if that utterly dreadful Moriarty is there?”

“Calm yourself, dear boy….Moriarty may be the Napoleon of Crime, but he has excellent taste. We are talking One Book, man! I’m sure we all can be cordial for once! By the way, grab my pipe!”

Have your say » | Tagged Book & Author News, From our Friends

Take 1 Teaspoon Twice Daily…HUH?

Posted by Erin on 03.26.2012 at 9:00 am

Guest post from our Twitter friend Penelope Thompson, (@ClaroHealth)

Seems simple enough, or is it? How much is a teaspoon? How about a tablespoon? Missed my morning dose, can I take two now? Didn’t take yesterday’s, can I double up today to catch up? My brother has the same condition, can we split my medicine?

These questions are quite common. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, just over 1 out of 10 adults in the U.S. are proficient in health literacy. Health literacy is the ability to get, process, and understand basic health information and services in order to make the right health decisions. It is not necessarily a measure of someone’s years of education or even their reading level. Health literacy can be influenced by many different factors, including: culture, disabilities, and knowledge or familiarity with the health topic. Furthermore, the degree of health literacy can change depending on the situation and setting.

On the surface, the doctor’s instructions may seem obvious. However, after arriving at home, the directions are often not carried out as intended. Generally, 3 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon. Someone not familiar with the difference and skips a dose, and then doubles up on the medicine, may be taking 5-6 times the recommended dosage. This misunderstanding can be especially dangerous to toddlers because of their small size.

1 Comment » | Tagged From our Friends

You Buy a Book. Fernando Gets an Education.

Posted by Erin on 03.22.2012 at 8:47 am

“I like to write about the stars and how I see my family in them,” 2nd grader Fernando Augusto Gonzalez says wistfully. “I know that, no matter where we are or how far apart we live, we can look up at the sky and see the same thing.”

Fernando is talking about his parents. He thinks about them all the time. He wonders where they are; he imagines what they might be doing in that particular moment. Fernando’s parents migrated to the United States (from the rural community of Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala) when he was a baby, in search of jobs that could support their family. Indigenous and illiterate, Fernando’s parents had few prospects at home, where over than half of the region’s residents live in chronic poverty and compete for limited resources.

The young, hopeful Guatemalan’s grandparents put a roof over his head and give him plenty to eat. They even saved up their meager earnings for several months to buy him a uniform – without which he would not be able to attend school.

1 Comment » | Tagged Impact, Impact Vignette

We Want to Fund Your Education Project!

Posted by Erin on 03.20.2012 at 9:04 am

Many of our blog posts are designed to inspire and encourage you to buy books the green and giving-back way.

This one is different. This time, we want to give-back directly to you through our Literacy and Education in Action Program (LEAP) grants. Feel free to jump ahead here and go right to the grant link (or continue reading about why and how the grant process works).

There are over 793,000,000 adults on our planet who are illiterate and over 67,000,000 children who are not able to attend school.*

Have your say » | Tagged Company News, Contests, Impact, In the News, LEAP

We Met One of Our Favorite Authors at TED: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Posted by Erin on 03.19.2012 at 9:27 am

She walked up to the TED Bookstore with a trail of children dressed in rainbow colors frolicking behind her.

No, not actually, but that’s what it felt like.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is an award-winning author of both children and adult fiction and non-fiction. She is also a contributor to TED and NPR. The New York Times says Amy’s children’s books: “Radiate fun the way tulips radiate spring: they are elegant and spirit-lifting.”

Her 20+ books for children include Little Pea, Spoon, Chopsticks, Duck! Rabbit!, The Wonder Book, Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, and Plant a Kiss.

But that’s enough from us. Hear from Amy herself:
Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Book & Author News, Book Lists, From our Friends

Another Way Invisible Children Educates the World

Posted by Erin on 03.14.2012 at 9:59 am

You may have recently become aware of Invisible Children through their #Kony2012 Campaign to stop Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony by the end of this year. We have partnered with Invisible Children for years to help rebuild the education system in post-war Northern Uganda.

As you will see in our latest impact video below, Invisible Children is working hard to uplift Northern Uganda from the inside – through education – and we are honored to support their education programs.

There are millions of teachers across Africa hoping to learn more about student-centered teaching and praying to be able to provide individual books to their students. Each time you donate a book to, buy a book from, or share Better World Books with friends, you are helping more teachers like Elizabeth lift up the next generation of Africans. Thank you!

7 Comments » | Tagged Company News, Impact, In the News, LEAP, Our Partners, Video Impact Story

Top 25 Books Sold by BWB in February

Posted by Erin on 03.13.2012 at 8:43 am

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2. What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff & Sharon Mazel

3. Reasoning and Writing Well by Betty Mattix Dietsch

4. A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

1 Comment » | Tagged Book Lists

A book-lovers dream gift (other than a BWB book)

Posted by Erin on 03.12.2012 at 9:18 am

Guest post by Robin K. Blum, Founder & President of www.inmybook.com

Ever start reading a new book and just can’t put it down? I have experienced that feeling and know how exciting it can be to open up a Better World Books package, block out everything else on your to-do list and get swallowed up in the pleasure of reading. But inevitably, you’ll need to take a break at some point (unless it’s a very short book or you’re living in a time warp). What do you need to save your place? A bookmark, and in the realm of bookmarks, here’s one with a difference: they’re called In My Book® cards and they’re ‘the greeting card and bookmark in one’. The one-woman company was founded by Robin K. Blum and here’s my story:

Read more…

6 Comments » | Tagged From our Friends

Scoutmob: Inspired by the English Dictionary of Slang

Posted by Erin on 03.10.2012 at 9:18 am

We all love a good deal. And this deal-site-gone-creative-community-activism was born and is being raised in the same city as Better World Books’ HQ, Atlanta. I think they’re making this a better world through supporting and empowering local entrepreneurs. These small business find-and-sharers make our cities richer places to live, work and play. Plus, I dig ScoutMob’s quirky and intelligent vocabulary to describe the greatest grub in town so I asked my counterpart there, Allie, to partake in a little Q&A.

What is Scoutmob?
Scoutmob is a mobile app guiding you to our favorite local businesses with sweet deals along with awesome curated content. Scoutmob’s mission is to help you be a better local. We’re taking advantage of all Atlanta has to offer — and bring you daily incentives to get out and do the same. Think of us as that gentle nudge you need to get you out the door and do your local thing.

What cities have Scoutmob?
We publish daily in Atlanta, San Francisco, New York and DC. We are “lite” (one deal per week) in Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, Nashville, Seattle, and Portland.

Read more…