2012 April - 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

How can a piece of jewelry help give clean water or fight human trafficking?

Posted by Erin on 04.30.2012 at 9:17 am

Guest post by Jenny Long, Founder of SOCO Marketplace

*NOTE* We love the SOCO Marketplace project because they believe what we do – that we can use the power of commerce to change lives. You can learn all about our social and environmental benefits here.

I’ve always loved the idea of buying something that helps a humanitarian effort. When someone says ‘cool sandals’ or ‘nice necklace,’ I love being able to reply with ‘oh, thanks, it’s this great company that helps supply clean water,’ or ‘women escaping human trafficking made it.’

2 Comments » | Tagged From our Friends

Known By The Problems They Solve

Posted by Erin on 04.26.2012 at 8:18 am

Guest post by Plywood People Project Manager, Gisele Nelson

Here at Plywood People, we live by the mantra, “We will be known by the problems we solve.” Once we’ve seen a problem that we believe there is a solution for, we feel we have a responsibility to begin solving that problem. We saw 2 problems.

Billboards were being discarded and we believed there could be an alternative use for them.
Refugees were being brought to the U.S. but couldn’t find jobs.

We felt passionate about addressing these needs, so we created Billboard Bags. We now employ refugees who make bags out of billboards.
Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged From our Friends, Social Enterprise

5 Must-Reads for Young Adults this Spring

Posted by Erin on 04.25.2012 at 8:26 am

Gust Post by Maria Rainier, Writer for http://www.onlinedegrees.org/blog/

Arguably the best season of the year, Spring is a time associated with the natural renewal and vibrance of life. It’s also a great time for kids to sit out in nature and enjoy the weather with their favorite book. Accordingly, I’d like to list off some timeless reads for youngsters that fit in nicely with the spring aesthetic.

The Redwall Series

This wildly successful series by Brian Jacques involves the adventures of anthropomorphic animals who live in and around the storied Redwall Abbey near Mossflower forest. Mice, badgers, and birds perform courageous feats in a rustic setting of a bygone medieval age. Notable titles include Redwall, Mossflower, and The Pearls of Lutra.

Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged Book Lists, From our Friends

6 of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World are full-time Authors or Educators

Posted by Erin on 04.24.2012 at 9:10 am

Considering how many careers and life paths there are out there, and the number of billionaires and politicians on the list, it’s amazing that 6 of the people wonders of the world serve full-time in education and writing.

AUTHORS

Walter Isaacson
“The age of landmark biographies had, we might assume, long since passed, replaced by one of short attention spans, interactive gadgets and fewer bookstores. Enter Walter Isaacson and his trio of brilliant works about men of genius — Franklin, Einstein and Jobs,” writes former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. If that’s not enough to get you to buy his latest book Steve Jobs, check out this guest blog post by Pattie Baker.

Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged Book & Author News, Book Lists

WIN FREE BOOKS FOR A YEAR!

Posted by Erin on 04.23.2012 at 4:14 am

To celebrate the launch of our UK Facebook page, the UK Year of Books contest begins today! We’re running the contest on both Facebook and Twitter with a winner on each. Here’s how to enter:

1. Like Better World Books UK on Facebook
2. Go to our Year of Books event and click “join”
3. Share our event with your friends with the message: “I just entered the Better World Books UK ‘Year of Books’ Contest. I can win a year’s supply of books!”

OR enter via Twitter:

1. Follow @BWBUK on Twitter.
2. Tweet this (copy & paste the following into Twitter):
I just entered the @BWBUK “Year of Books” Contest. I can win a year’s supply of books bit.ly/ukyearofbooks

The randomly-selected Winner on each social network will receive:

Free Books for a Year!
This will be in the form of one £20 gift certificate emailed once a month. You can use this toward anything we sell on the website, including the Bargain Bin (Since the Bin allows you to get 4 books for £10, you could get 96 Bargain Bin books over the course of the year!).

1 Comment » | Tagged Company News, Contests

The #1 Way To Go Green This Earth Day

Posted by Erin on 04.22.2012 at 9:34 am

Donate your books to Better World Books!

Admittedly, no official polling group has ranked the Better World Books donation program #1, but you are #1 in our eyes when you save your books from a miserable fate in the landfill, and instead donate them to the fight for a fully literate world.

There are actually three big ways that we at Better World Books like to support you in your Earth-friendly efforts:

1) The donation and Drop Box program
2) Our carbon-balanced shipping option
3) Providing a bevy of used books to buy

Read more…

Have your say » | Tagged Company News, Impact, In the News, Social Enterprise

Illustrating the Fantastic

Posted by Erin on 04.19.2012 at 8:15 am

Post by Rob Monroe, Bibliographer, BWB Antiquarian, Rare, and Collectible Books

View the Better World Book Rare and Antiquarian Collection here.

It is in the first line of Lewis Carroll’s classic that Alice ponders on the possible use of a book without pictures. Adults reading this passage will likely smile at the childish naivete, especially those unimpressed with wood engravings such as the illustrations within the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. However, I doubt that even the stodgiest of readers cannot find value in the incredible book illustrations that were to come in the early 20th Century.

1 Comment » | Tagged Ask the Dust: Notes from the Rare Book Section, Book Lists

Rising Above the Scars: Author Shares Her Story

Posted by Erin on 04.18.2012 at 8:30 am

Guest post by Johnnetta Mcswain, Author and Activist

Note: This post is not appropriate for children.

I was born to an alcoholic mother and an absent father. From the moment I entered the world, I faced neglect, abuse, and poverty. At the age of five, my three uncles began what would become five years of brutal sexual, mental, and physical torture of me, my sister, and my male cousin. By the age of eight, I contracted syphilis and pneumonia as a result of the sexual abuse.

After the torture stopped, I was still left with the neglect and emotional abuse of my mother who didn’t provide my basic needs. Therefore, I dropped out of high school, began to steal, and lived a life of self-destruction.

On my 30th birthday, an urgency came over me to be the first in my family to break these vicious cycles. In a genuine effort to save my two sons from continuing these cycles, at age 32, I packed up my house, took my boys and drove from Birmingham, Alabama to Georgia. Equipped with only a GED and a dream to be the first in my family to graduate with a college degree, I enrolled at Kennesaw State University at age 33, and graduated in three years, becoming the first college graduate in my family. But, this wasn’t enough for me, at age 36, I enrolled in Clark Atlanta University and graduated in two years with my Masters in Social Work with a 3.9 GPA.
Read more…

1 Comment » | Tagged From our Friends, In the News

My Year of Books

Posted by Erin on 04.17.2012 at 8:42 am

Post by Mary Olson, BWB Outlet Store Manager

Did you know we have a Staff Picks section on our website? That’s right; we asked our book-loving staff what books they love and you can find those recommendations on the www.BetterWorldBooks.com homepage Great Reads box (in case you’re looking for your next new favorite).

It just so happens that the books highlighted this month all come highly recommended by me! All ten books were favorites from my 2011 reading list. Honestly, I only had a few non-favorites; it was such an enjoyable year!

2 Comments » | Tagged Book Lists

How To: Start Something That Matters

Posted by Erin on 04.13.2012 at 8:21 am

Our March Better World Book Club pick was Start Something That Matters, by the Founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie.

We featured the book as the subject of one of our quarterly in-person events – in sync with the TOMS One Day Without Shoes event worldwide on 4/10/12.