HE STARTED A READING REVOLUTION
Wisconsin man brings neighbors together with his Little Free Libraries
Each week, this USA TODAY series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. To read more about average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation.usatoday.com.
What does it mean to you to be an American?
To me it’s what you give back. I feel it’s not what you accumulate and what you have, but how you give back to society and culture. A very important thing for me is to ask the question — not it takes a village to raise a child but, “How am I part of that village?”
What moment touched and motivated you to launch this effort?
What touched me to launch the Little Free Library was just how my neighborhood got so excited and thrilled. It was like a new baby or a new puppy. They were thrilled by it. It was something they had never seen. What we did is we put them out there across Wisconsin and Minnesota, and it took off. It’s been in the media. It’s delighted people around the world.
What gives you hope or what concerns you?
There’s an old saying that you don’t think clearly with clenched fists. I believe too often in America right now we’re angry and we’re spending time and energy about where we disagree. What is wonderful about Little Free Libraries that gives me hope is it brings neighborhoods together. It brings a commonality of improving literacy within the neighborhood, and they connect. I see that people are more concerned about connecting and being together and building a strong community than I see dissension. I believe dissension is too often emphasized and it’s not really who we are. Little Free Libraries are more about who we are, that is, connecting neighborhoods and making neighborhoods better. ... I think Little Free Libraries push a ray of hope on us that is more representative of who we are.
What do you hope to accomplish through your efforts?
What I believe is that everybody has a right to read. You may not be able to change your city or your town, but you can change your neighborhood. What we’re hoping is that Little Free Library acts as a spark in that neighborhood to step up, change your neighborhood, make it better and make sure everyone turns out well and reads well. It’s starting that, and it’s happening all across the globe. I just hope it accelerates more and more.