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World Book Night in Kalamazoo to be a 'celebration of reading and books'

Mark Wedel | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette By Mark Wedel | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette The Kalamazoo Gazette
on April 19, 2012 at 4:56 PM, updated April 19, 2012 at 5:05 PM
Dean Hauck.jpgDean Hauck, of Michigan News Agency, is an organizer for World Book Night, which will be observed April 23.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- You don't have time to read a book, you say. You can't even bother with downloading a novel on your iPhone because "Angry Birds Space" is taking up so much of your time.

What if someone just came up to you and put a new copy of a popular novel in your hand, for free, no strings attached? Would you read then?

On World Book Night, all day and into the night on Monday, April 23, a little volunteer army of book lovers will be out in Kalamazoo, giving out 30 titles, including Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games," H.G. Bissinger's "Friday Night Lights," Khaled Hosseini's "the Kite Runner," Stephen King's "The Stand," and other novels for a range of readers youth to adult.

They're going to be "connecting with new readers or light readers -- in other words, people not dedicated to reading 24/7 like I am," Dean Hauck, of the Michigan News Agency, said.

They don't want people seeking out books. "Don't come to the store," she said. Participating stores, also including Barns and Noble, Bookbug and Kazoo Books, will have people out on campuses, parks, sidewalks, parking lots, and other high-traffic areas asking people if they'd like a book.

It's "a celebration of reading and books, with people sharing their love of reading with other people," she said.

"Extending your hand to give someone a book, a story, is a gesture of hope and joy. It is a chance for all of us, givers and receivers, to break into blossom," Kate DiCamillo, author of one of the WBN books, "Because of Winn-Dixie," said in the event press release.

The first World Book Night was in Europe last year. This is the first in the U.S., with 750 stores around the country, 2,500 book-givers and a half million books involved.

World Book Night U.S. is a non-profit organization, supported by publishers, the American Booksellers Association, paper and printing companies and other groups who'd like to get more people reading.

Reading habits are changing, thanks to e-readers like the Kindle and iPad, taking paper and the local bookstores out of the loop.

"We're surviving," Hauck said of her business. She is pro-print, but above all, "What I believe in is people reading," she said.

Another benefit, Hauck said, is "this is another opportunity for a community involvement event, and that's what communities need." Kalamazooans introducing neighbors to the joy of the novel "is how you build a community... a cool city," she said.

On the web: worldbooknight.org
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/04/world_book_night.html
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