*Note* The below blog post is a guest blog from our Twitter friend Sage (@sagemauldin). This content does not necessarily reflect the views of Better World Books (as our lawyers make sure we say). We love having guest bloggers and invite you to email 11@betterworldbooks.com if you are interested in covering a book or topic on the BWB Blog. Thank you, Sage!

My name is Sage A. Mauldin. I’m a Psychology major, senior, at the University of Oklahoma, and a staunch reader of sorts (i.e., philosophy, psychology, religion, politics, humor). My three wheelhouse passions are everything-psychology, writing and, of course, reading. Not until recently did I discover Better World Books through a friend of mine, Jennifer Williams, who has recently wrote a blog on here about “The Power of Reading.”

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UPDATE: Book for Like/Follow is still going strong. The info below is all correct except the end date which we do not have right now. We love how much you love this campaign and want to continue to empower you to share and make a difference with one click. Thank you!

Drum roll please…. over the next 30 days, you’re going to see some of the most exciting announcements we’ve ever shared. We admit, 30 days is a long time for a drum roll. So maybe take a breather here and there.

Starting today, July 15th, and running until our super secret surprise on August 15th, for every single new “like” on Facebook or “follow” on Twitter, we will donate a children’s book to a kid in need via Feed the Children.

Visit our Facebook and Twitter pages now to join the fun and make a big difference with just one click! If you’re already a fan, thank you so much! Please share the love to help bring books to kids who need them.
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*Note* The below blog post is a guest blog from our Twitter friend Jennifer (@KidsLearnFromMe). This content does not necessarily reflect the views of Better World Books (as our lawyers make sure we say). We love having guest bloggers and invite you to email 11@betterworldbooks.com if you are interested in covering a book or topic on the BWB Blog. Thank you, Jennifer!

Books have always held sway over my life.  To be frank, I tend to neglect other tasks in my life (house cleaning, cooking, grading papers) when I have a book calling my name.  I would rather spend money on books than jewelry.  My monthly book budget is usually larger than my monthly clothes budget (and I love clothes).  Books are my Muse and my Siren.

Before I go any further, I should introduce myself.  My name is Jennifer Williams.  I currently reside in Oklahoma.  I teach 8th, 9th, 10th grade pre-AP English and 12th grade AP English for a small, rural school.  In fact, I started the pre-AP program at the school.  The enrollment has exploded since I began the program two years ago.  Yes, I’m so proud!  During my career, I have taught 8th-12th grades; I have taught at-risk students, traditional students, advanced students, and special needs students.  I have been married for fifteen years to my high school sweetheart and have an amazing thirteen-year-old daughter.

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What does the freedom of speech mean to you? To us, it is the ability to share ideas and to talk about what you believe.Perhaps the most famous of all freedom of speech moments comes from the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution which reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The idea of free speech actually goes back to early religions and was well articulated during the European Enlightenment in the 15th century when England’s 1689 Bill of Rights granted “freedom of speech in Parliament.” In 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen specifically affirmed freedom of speech as an inalienable right stating that: “The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.”

More recently, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, declares that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

We believe that literacy and access to education is also a human right for all and are dedicated to helping bring peace, enlightenment and progress to the world through education one book at a time!

Freedom Writers is a great example of the good that

comes from sharing through stories.