Posted by Natasha Harris, Pacific Senior Director

Since moving out to Los Angeles about a year and a half ago, I've helped out with a few volunteer events from time to time, but really haven't gotten involved with my local community the way that I was involved when I still lived in Philadelphia (let's call it transitional lassitude).  Since returning from Cambodia a couple of weeks ago, I've decided to turn a couple of things around here and really focus in on ways that I can be more effective in my life, and also make my life more impactful on a greater scale.  That said, this week I started taking yoga (some inner focus always helps), began a new class, and yes - signed up for a volunteer tutoring position at a local non-profit organization (orientation is tonight!!).  From now on, I will be tutoring with this organization twice per week, and am really excited about it! 

What I'm further excited about is the timing.  Unbeknownst to me when I signed up - this is actually National Literacy Action Week!  The NLAW celebration began on Monday, and campuses around the country are participating.  Originating with SCALE (Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education) at the University of North Carolina, this week will feature workshops, tutoring and tutor recruitment, storytimes and book distributions, and other literacy awareness activities.  For more information, click here. 

Not that doing good deeds ever goes out of style, but I'm pretty proud of myself for being so with the times for once.  :)  Join me this week (and every week) by getting more involved in your own community - even little things can make a big difference!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Tom Konrad, a financial analyst specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency companies, has a good article over at Grist concerning the Presidential candidates on their policies and talk of environmental policy.  Tom gets somewhat bogged down by his "If I Were President" excerpt, but his grades are interesting and important to anyone who cares for the environment considering the primary policy creator in the USA for the following four years is in question.

Check it out.

Or check out the more aesthetically pleasing and more comprehensive version, spurred on by Tom's ideas.

Posted by Will Eaton, Account Representative



Better World Books is a very interesting company. In my search for a career I came across many job descriptions that offered many things, but the substance that this company brings definitely has made this a great choice.

I truly believe that some companies have good intentions and want to do better for the world around them, but some how they get lost in the hustle and bustle of corporate America. Better World Books, however seems to really stand on their purpose and aims to create a better world for all through helping to fight illiteracy and through cultivating minds. I give Better World Books all the credit in the world and I hope that my presence here will help this company continue to accomplish all of their goals.

Posted by Abby Rae LaCombe, Rocky Mountain Regional Director

I’m excited to say Khaled Hosseini has done it again!  I just finished Hosseini’s second novel (the first being the excellent text-cum-movie: The Kite Runner), A Thousand Splendid Suns and it was awesome!

A Thousand Splendid Suns demonstrates the innate ability of humans to overcome the oppression of social order and war in order to find their own sense of worth and value.  Following the lives of two women who have nothing in common but guilt for their own existences, the book brings to life the plight of women in Afghanistan during the past 40 years.  The story begins in the 1960s and follows two women, Mariam and Laila, through the overthrow of Communism, the constant fighting between warlords, and the institutionalized sexism of the Taliban.

Hosseini has an amazing knack for story telling.  His use of foreshadowing and ability to develop not just believable, but lovable and sometimes equally despicable, characters sets his novels apart from most.  A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of those remarkable stories that encompass true friendship, lost (and found!) love, and the struggles that individuals in war torn countries face.

We in the United States hear frequently of Afghanistan in the news.  We know the realities of Al Qaeda and the Taliban and terrorist training camps, but it is rare that we are exposed to the reality of Afghanistan as a country with a rich history and culture that has been beaten down repeatedly by war and violence. It is rare that we are exposed to the pain that millions have bared, not just since 2001, but for generations. Khaled Hosseini does not just tell us of Afghanistan’s recent history, he shows us how time has impacted the individual lives of its citizens. He turns the anonymous masses we see on the nightly news into souls that we can identify with, giving us a connection for compassion and a greater understanding of the complex political history that has led Afghanistan to the center stage of the 21^st century.

And what’s great is you can support worldwide literacy initiatives by purchasing A Thousand Splendid Suns as well as Hosseini’s first novel, The Kite Runner from www.betterworld.com (click covers)

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Before I was writing here on the blog and running book drives around the northeast of the US and Canada I was busy being a music major, doing everything from conducting orchestras to playing classical guitar concerts to a regular Wednesday gig at a pub in Ireland.  Even these days I've been known to write the occasional piece for a festival or dance.

Anyway, because of this huge part of my life, I tend to read books that either have to do with music or my other love (modernist literature, particularly turn of the 20th century British lit).

Luckily there has hardly been a better time to be into the former as there are a few great new books for me to suggest that you read (as usual click the cover to check it out at www.BetterWorld.com ):




The one most recently reviewed in the Sunday New York Times Book Review: Grand Obsession.  This text, by Perri Knize describes her search for the perfect piano that takes her on a journey all over geographically and mentally.  It's an entertaining and engaging story that will have you longing to play, be it chopsticks or Chopin.



Not being a piano player didn't take away from my enjoyment of Grand Obsession, but I certainly was more apt to pick up Practicing: A Musician's Return to Music.  I've heard great thing but haven't cracked this one open yet.  I'll review it soon for those of you itching for a book about a classical guitarist who returns after years away from the instrument (tell me almost everyone doesn't regret not continuing their _____ lessons as a kid).



Last is a book I'm just getting through right now called This is Your Brain On Music.  This book approaches music with a far more scientific approach than the previous two.  This book deals with layman's versions of how the brain works in it's approach to listening to, reacting to and generally engaging with music.  Anyone who can understand the haunting quality of a single note or chord or finds themselves playing the same songs over and over needs to check this one out.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Check out this interview with Xavier from Brightcove at Sundance.



For more info check out his previous post.

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

I have a friend who is a special collections archivist who found some photos online and thought they would interest me.  In turn, I think they'll interest you, although they will likely sadden you, maybe even enrage you to an extent.



The Detroit Public Schools Book Depository has been destroyed by fires and weather for over 20 years since the city chose to walk away and leave it to ruin.  Everyday here at Better World Books we deal in the business of getting resources to where they belong: to those in need.  Meanwhile, here in our own country, there are pallets full of unopened textbooks from Houghton-Mifflin, piles of unopened workbooks or trees growing in the waste.  How could a local government or a community's leaders decide to let something like this happen?

The blog Sweet Juniper is responsible for this story and these photos, check out the full story there and get a little riled up, it's good for you, and better yet it could be good for your community.

Posted by Natasha Harris, Pacific Senior Director

We've been getting a lot of requests to see photos from our Cambodia trip, so I thought I'd include a few below from our shared repertoire.  Click on the individual link of any picture to make it bigger.


I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that I feel so lucky to be part of such a passionate and amazing team of people.  Spending these weeks together visiting Room to Read projects was as reaffirming and incredible as I could ever imagine.  You're a great and talented bunch and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to learn from each of you!

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

Many a time we have featured the book throne here at the Better World Books Blog, (Sundance, Cover Exposure, etc...) but who knew that it was art?  Perusing a gallery I found the following piece by David Byrne:

"Better World Books, purveyor of books with a triple bottom line and creators of fine art."  Perhaps the title needs to be shortened, but I like the concept...

Posted by F. Xavier Helgesen, Co-Founder

What a crazy five days it has been! We arrived at the Sundance Film Festival the day before it started on January 16. We'd been asked to take part in The Giving Suite at Sundance Film Festival, which takes the concept of an exclusive celebrity gifting suite and turns it on its head. At this Suite, everyone is welcome, and people buy eco-friendly products (and books!) with 100% of proceeds going to charity.

We're hoping to fund a lot of girls' scholarships through Room to Read's "Room to Grow" program. We set up a mini-bookshop of about 150 carefully selected titles, and of course people could shop BetterWorld.com if they couldn't find something on the shelves.

I'll be posting much more from the festival soon. For now, a few photos:

Some new friends showing off their "Speak softly and carry a bag of books." tote bags from Better World Books.






Well Read indeed! The Book Throne: it's everywhere you want to be.

Posted by: Damara Catlett, Northern Mid-Atlantic Regional Director

It’s been about a week since I and four other Better World Books employees visited Cambodia to see first hand the incredible impact that Room to Read is making in Cambodian schools through their library, computer classroom and Room to Grow Girls' Scholarship progroms.

The most soul stirring part of the trip was our visit to the family of a Room to Grow scholar named Yum Sophally. To reach her home we traveled almost 2 ½ hours each way using 3 modes of transportation. The first hour we traveled by car and to our surprise transferred to a hummer truck in order to traverse the rocky and practically road less terrain. Lastly, a 30 minute boat ride brought us to a small fishing community by the name of Thnot Leam Bot which translates into “broken palms”. This small village is the home of 17 Room to Read scholars.

Prior to Room to Read’s assistance these girls would have had to make the very expensive 2 ½ hour trek each day to and from school. However, thanks to the scholarship program, room and board is provided for the scholars close to the school where they are cared for by their teachers.

We were graciously welcomed into the home of Yum’s mother, In Lavy. In Lavy is a 58 year old widower and 16 year old Yum is her only child. As a testament to this woman’s generosity and warmth she has taken in her orphaned niece and nephew who did their homework in the next room as we spoke. In Lavy described Yum as a quiet, gentle, and studious girl who is incredibly cautious and thoughtful. In Lavy, knows that her investment in her education is crucial to Yum fulfilling her dreams of becoming a teacher or doctor.

Although, mother and daughter only see each three times a year they have fully embraced this opportunity as only 19% of Cambodian girls are enrolled in school at the secondary level. As we closed our interview In Lavy promised that “As long as I’m on the earth I’m committed to helping my daughter continue her education.”

Posted by Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director

It's now over 50 years since Rudolf Flesch released his blockbuster book "Why Johnny Can't Read," questioning some of education's failures in the US, particularly in reference to literacy. Now half a century later, the problem continues, and educators face even more struggles teaching in classrooms that not only face the kind of socioeconomic diversity that have characterized the challenge of public schooling for years, but now a new kind of challenge has taken hold.  Many students, particularly in the Latino community (15% of all non-institutionalized citizens by the March 2006 census), come from backgrounds in which the first language is not English or English is not spoken in the home.

In reference to this demographic, Richard Riley, former Secretary of Education (1993-2001) in the US commented in his March of 2000 speech, "54 percent of all teachers have limited English proficient (LEP) students in their classrooms, yet only one-fifth of teachers feel very prepared to serve them."

In response to this state of affairs, the NCFL, our partner in US literacy, sponsors hundreds of programs all around the US and they have never been more important than today.  You don't have to become a teacher to help the situation, check out the NCFL's website for ideas.  Their latest approach offers "five $600,000 educational grants to benefit hispanic and other immigrant families for literacy efforts."  It's not just Johnny who can't read.

Posted by Jacob Fu, Account Representative

A few of us from the Library Team were recently in Philadelphia for the ALA Mid-Winter Meeting.  We had a great time high-fiving librarians, seeing our current clients, enjoying the ALA sponsored band, and meeting new libraries.


As usual, we had a tasting of the local cuisine.  Christian and I even had a surprising run-in on our hotel elevator with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was in town promoting his most recent book On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance!


Philadelphia was littered with sculptures throughout the city.  You’re never quite sure what you will run into around the corner.  At the base of one of the buildings, were HUGE board game pieces.


And although I didn’t get a chance to visit the statue, Philadelphia is of course home to the one and only Rocky Balboa.


I look forward to the next conference and seeing everyone again.  Thanks to those who stopped by our booth and I hope you had just as great a time as I did!

Posted by Better World Books

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Christian Blue, Account Representative: I know I'm not the only one to get goosebumps when I hear his voice resonate "I have a dream" It's always been that way, but it was not until I read "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in college that I understood Dr. King's strength of purpose and character.  It's a true testament to why he led the movement he did.   Since any further attempt at describing his impact would surely fall short, I will leave you all with the attached letter (above link). I like to read it every MLK Day and it never fails to inspire.



Damara Catlett, Northern Mid-Atlantic Regional Director: There is so much to love about this picture (below) including the religious diversity in the background, the cultural diversity of the students, the BFA video playing (courtesy of Maura) and of course the posing-love it!

Jack Hanlon, Northeast Regional Director: Martin Luther King did what he did, and was who he was, for scenes like this: that students could sit together, regardless of color, class or creed and be together, to study, to share experiences and to work for a common goal: to help those in need and create a Better World!