In the past I have wandered through the city, giving books to people in random venues such as near a homeless shelter or to people getting off a city bus. I had mixed reactions, some enthusiastic, some not.
This year I decided to plan more carefully. I contacted a teacher at a local adult learning center. We agreed on a time for me to come. I showed up and was pleased to discover that the class had talked about the book I was to give them, After the Funeral, and had learned a bit about the author, Agatha Christie.
There was a lot of excitement about getting a free book, both from the students and from the teachers. The teachers told me that they often use their own money to provide a classroom set of books. I talked about World Book Night, explaining that we were celebrating William Shakespeare's birthday, and some details about how it works through a large network of volunteers. They seemed impressed.
The class plans to read the book together, and as I have not yet read the book, either, I later purchased a copy for my Kindle and plan to read it along with them. Making this connection was a lot of fun!
If I am a giver again next year, I definitely will plan ahead. It makes a big difference when the recipients are prepared and excited.
