FOR YEARS, I ENVIED the Little
Free Library the size of a dormitory
refrigerator at the local playground,
its shelves stuffed with novels and
nonfiction, picture books and back
issues of the New Yorker. It was one
of more than 90,000 worldwide, part
of a project that began in 2010 as
one man’s labor of love to ensure
all people had access to literature.
As an author and reader, I des-
perately wanted a Little Free Library
of my own. I loved the generosity
of neighbors sharing books with
one another on home-built shelves
labeled with the motto “Take a book,
return a book.” I wanted people
walking by my house with their kids
and their dogs to pause for a moment
and peruse the shelves, hoping to
discover something wonderful.
Good Read
The Power of a Book
MELISSA HART REACHED INTO A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY AND FOUND
A STORY THAT WOULD CHANGE HER FAMILY.
PR
EA
PP
Y/
ST
OC
KS
Y
72 REAL SIMPLE NOVEMBER 2019
RELATING
