Project Books: One Rep's Inspiring Story

By Alexis Trifon

In September of 2022, we published our "Project Books: One Person and a Book Changed My Life Forever" article. I wrote, "When I was in kindergarten, I had difficulty with reading and writing. If you know me, you would be shocked by this news or even laugh. Goodreads is one of my most used apps. However, my passion for reading and writing took time and would not have happened without the help of others ... According to The Progressive, about 90% of the local and state governments funding for public libraries has been cut after the pandemic, and 'cutting school libraries also means increasing racial and class achievement gaps.' No child should be at a disadvantage because of a broken and neglected system."

Six months later, Project Books has grown nation wide. Currently, there are 14 representatives in Florida, California, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Maryland, Washington, Virginia, Texas, and South Carolina that make up our student executive board! We have also donated over 500 books to public libraries and public school libraries.

One of the representatives stories about Project Books really stood out to me: "I started preschool as soon as I came to the U.S. from Vietnam, where I did not speak English. During this time, I took English enrichment and ESOL courses. I still remember the first book I read semi-fluently. It was Henry and Mudge, which I chose because my teacher's name was Ms. Henry. It is essential that kids have access to books for a successful future".

Inspiring stories like the one above encourage progress for important issues. Thank you to the Life with Lex community and Project Book's representatives. I hope we can help as many communities as possible. If you would like to join Project Books, please fill out our application form.