Give & Take: Give Back (and to Yourself) With a Book

There are many ways to give back to others and your community. While volunteering your time or donating money are often the first ways we think of, there are other, creative ways we can integrate a give back mentality throughout our daily lives. At the same time, especially in these exhausting times, it is equally important for us to give back and take care of ourselves.

One unexpected way to achieve both of these things is through a hobby many of us enjoy – reading. Below, check out five ways that we can use books and reading as part of our personal give back efforts.

1. Shop small and local – Local bookstores have been hit hard over the last few years. Next time you’re buying a book to read or buying a gift for a friend, look towards the local shop instead of the conglomerate. Bookshop.org and IndieBound are great online resources for finding and purchasing books from small stores.
2. Purchase books that donate proceeds to charity – A few of our favorites include:
   • Family Meal: Recipes From Our Community – All proceeds are donated to the Restaurant Workers’ Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund
   • The revered writer, poet and civil rights activist Dorothy Parker left the licensing of her work to the NAACP. She is a powerful and prolific writer and buying her work will support the organization and cause to which she was dedicated.
3. Get a library card – Local libraries are an incredibly important part of our communities, and they help people of all ages and resources gain access to education and entertainment. Support your local library by getting and using a library card, as well as participating in programs and fundraisers.
4. Read books that can help you learn about philanthropy – Use your leisure team to enjoy books that can inspire and educate you on giving back, including:
   • The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan by Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey R. Solomon
   • The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
   • Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
   • Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas
5. Read books that can help yourself –There are a number of modern releases that dive deep into how to be happier, better selves. Consider:
   • Untamed by Glennon Doyle
   • Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
   • Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

As you can see, picking up a book can help not just your community, but your own mental health. Tell us, what are you reading this spring?