National Donate a Book Day is a time to appreciate reading and pick up a book.
The day was founded by Direct Brand’s Book of the Month Club in 2011 to expand access to education. As USC prepares to host the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend, some Los Angeles neighborhoods lack the resources afforded to USC students.
Local organizations in L.A. are working to expand access to books for the youth. Organizations such as American Book Drive, Access Books and Re-Book It accept donations and distribute books to charitable organizations and community members in the city.
“It’s always good to talk to your local (library) branch, support your local branch, find out what their needs are, and then that would be the best way to donate,” said Christina Rice, the senior librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library’s photo collection. “It’s good to make the donation a meaningful one.”
The Undergraduate Student Government’s Wellness Committee handed out 200 free books to USC students Friday at Alumni Park for Wellness Week.
The event, called “Blind Date with a Book,” allowed students to choose from a selection of books wrapped in paper with clues about the books’ themes.
“A fractured family, buried secrets, and a truth that changes everything,” read one of the notes.
Kaylee Idrogo, a freshman majoring in neuroscience and biochemistry, is a member of the Wellness Committee. She said reading for pleasure is an important part of coping with stress.
“Our focus as a wellness committee is to help relieve stress on USC students,” said Idrogo. “In our day-to-day, we’re going to class and have a lot going on, but being able to explore our creativity and intellectualness outside of the classroom is also important.”
Marilyn Nguyen, a freshman majoring in international relations and global business, said hosting the event was also a way to make reading more accessible and less intimidating.
“A lot of students don’t know where to start,” said Nguyen. “The idea was to remove the pressure and make it fun.”
USC’s community spoke to the importance of reading.
Margaret Russett, a USC English professor, said reading cultivates the imagination, referencing Percy Shelley’s essay “In Defense of Poetry.”
“Reading is an intrinsically imaginative act,” said Russett. “From these little marks on the page, we have to imagine sights, sounds, textures, and personalities.”
“With the development of that imaginative strength comes the capacity to identify with other people, to empathize with other people, because that is also an exercise of the imagination,” she continued.
Nolan Morris, a senior majoring in English with a literary concentration, said reading forces him to slow down.
“In a world with such a high demand for constant engagement, I find that reading challenges you,” said Morris. “When I slow down and read a book, I find my mind is much clearer, and I’m able to focus on ideas better.”
Morris enjoys dramatic novels. He said his major has expanded his understanding of literature. When he’s not in classes, he tries to read for 20 minutes a day.
“I’ve come to really appreciate the way in which language can be crafted and manipulated to mean different things,” Morris said.