This is a wonderful idea, cribbed from Go Fish, who cribbed it elsewhere.
On Sept. 11th, join a “poetical happening” and free a book!
Because a book is a symbol of freedom, sharing and tolerance…
On Sept. 11th, 2003, take a book which is important for you, a book that has changed your vision on the world, write in it a dedication, a few words, or a drawing, and free it!
Leave it on a roadside bench, a bus stop or in a cafe making it available for any unknown reader. In this way, Sept. 11th will be not only an anniversary of tragedy. Together, let us affect this global sorrow with creative and generous action.
A general mobilization from Bruxelles, Paris, Florence, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Whidbey Island and more. Almost all over the world, readers, artists, writers, poets, and publishers of vision and heart will free books that are important for them on Thursday, Sept. 11th, 2003.
Get involved and tell your friends. Readers, authors, publishers – free a book, because a book is a symbol of freedom, sharing and tolerance.
It’s just Bookcrossing, but without the ID numbers.
I dread the coming of September 11th, in part because I don’t know what I feel. Sad, yes. Of course. But I have more memories of the day than that. My mother went into hospital at noon that day and had surgery for colon cancer. I spent the afternoon in San Luis Obispo, walking around gift shops where stunned clerks listened to radios and watched TVs and seemed personally affronted that I wanted to buy my mother CDs and sweatshirts and robes and flowers. I went to give blood for my mother and found that the donation line was over six hours long. I thought about how 9/11 had always been Dispatcher Appreciation Day. Not that anyone knew it, but I thought, damn. Here goes our holiday. And behind that, always, the solid wall of grief.
When Mom woke up, we watched the news. We turned it off at night, briefly, so I could read Jan Karon’s Mitford books to her. Those, about the idyllic love story of a small town clergyman, were the opposite of the fear being broadcast. I never wanted the hospital TV to be switched back on. I only felt like it would hurt my mother. It was sure as hell hurting me and I wasn’t recovering from being split open. Well, not literally. But we had to watch, didn’t we?
I’m not diminishing the day, and its horrific losses. I couldn’t. It took me a long time to even start getting over it. But listen: I’m going to a writing conference with Mom this weekend. With my mother!
That’s something worth celebrating.
So in honor of the day, and in honor of the best reader I know – I’ll be freeing a couple of books. Wanna join me?
P.S. – Thanks for all the ant tips. They actually got scared by the collective wisdom I was garnering and fled before I had to try ANY of them. At the first rain they’ll be back, though. But what they don’t know is: Now I’m armed! You TRY it! I’m almost looking forward to it. Wait…. Nah.
P.P.S – Bethany’s on the move again!
Book sharing is a wonderful idea. I like that it involves a little sacrifice on our parts–having to give up a treasured book. Gah! Which one do I choose??
I personally think the only way to diminish the significance of what happened on 9/11/01 is to stop remembering. And I love that you’re going to be w/ your mom this weekend.
hug your Mommy for me 🙂
I love the freedom for books idea…
or books for freedom…
whatever.
I’m too tired to make sense…
want some birthday cake? I’ve got
PLENTY 🙂
I love the idea, but what book to free? Can I settle on a book before tomorrow?
I have read the Mitford books too. I loved them! Not literary genius, just old-fashioned goodness. We need more of that. Sweet, gentle, little pain. Maybe I will release those books. I have already shared them with my friends and family. Yeah! That’s what I’ll do. If I ever want to read them again, there is always the library.
Thanks, Rachael! And have a wonderful day with your Mom!
Yes! I will free a book! I will free a really GOOD book! I’ll leave it…hmmm…don’t know where I’ll leave it yet, but I will! What a beautiful idea.
It’s a great idea Rachael! And strangely enough, half an hour before reading your blog entry, I gave one of my favorite books to a coworker, and told her to pass it along to someone else when she was done with it.
I have some books that I will keep forever, for one reason or another. But mot of the time I free books – I hand them to someone else or take them to the library for them to use in their books sales.
Rachael, I chose to make this date a fun and happy day for myself. Last year I chose to learn to knit on Sept.11. It doesn’t make me forget all the events of 9/11/01 but it makes me see that happy things can come out of that precise date though.
I am truely happy that your mom pulled through her cancer and two years later she is still here with you! Now go on and celebrate, you/she/everyone deserves to make it a happy day. 🙂
Off to find a book.