Lexingtonians will be joining over 25,000 volunteers across the country tonight to give away half a million free books.
For the uninitiated, World Book Night might sound like just another book giveaway – but the idea is a little personal. Instead of handing out boxes of used or unwanted titles, volunteers choose a favorite book from a list of 30 pre-selected titles, received 20 copies at a reduced publisher cost, and then decide where in town they want to hand them out.
"What's exciting about it is it's not a random giveaway. It's person-to-person contact, saying 'I think you might really enjoy this.' And hopefully inspiring people to go on beyond that one book, to get more excited about literacy in general," says Morris Book Shop community engagement coordinator Natalie Cunningham.
She says volunteers sign up months in advance and her location is seeing growing interest - as volunteers launch events at Little League games, the East 7th Street Center, and elsewhere.
More than 6,000 towns and cities in the U.S. are set to take part.
