Zachary Milko
Contributing Writer
As Denzel Washington once said,“At the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished.It’sabout who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.”
Wooster students love to em- brace holidays all year long and that includes Booksgiving. Booksgiving is in full swing this year in the Libraries. This is the 22nd year the College of Wooster Libraries have been col- lectingbooksforchildrenand youngadultsasdonationsdur- ingtheholidays.Allbookswill bedonatedtoPeopletoPeople Ministries’ holiday toy distribu-
tionproject.Thiscollectionpro- gram aims to ensure that chil- dreninWoosterwillhaveaccess tobooksthiswinter,allowing membersofthecollegecom- munitytoconnectwiththelo- calcommunitybygivingachild in need a gift during the holi- day season. The event revolves around the theme of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The Wooster community is encour- aged to donate books with DEI themes, and all varieties of ex- ceptions.There is generally a greater need for books for young adults and teens. The program’s goalandhopeisthatcollecting bookswithDEIthemeswillal- low children in the Wooster communitytoenjoystoriesthat mirror their own experiences, culturesandidentitiesandthat provide windows into others’. MaeEvansandErinChristine —co-chairsoftheLibraries’ Diversity,Equity,andInclusion committee—seetheprogramas acontinuationoftheDEIwork that is being done on campus.
When asked about books they would love to see donated this year for Booksgiving, Evans and Christine were both eager to an- swer.
“One of my favorite young adult books is Eleanor and Parkby Rainbow Rowell. The book is about two teens who experi- encetheworldinverydifferent waysduetomanythingsinclud- ing their backgrounds, socio- economicstatus,familylifeand race. They form a bond based on
theirmutualloveofcomicbooks and music and end up falling in love.Thestorytakesplacein the’80s,whichaddsaninterest- inglayerofthewaysteens’ex- periencesnavigatingdifferences havechangedsincethenandthe ways these things are the same today,” said Evans. Christine also shared, “As a child, one of my favorite books was A Porcupine Named Fluffy by Helen Lester. The title character is ashamed of his name and goes to outrageous lengths to ‘become fluffier,’ such as eating a lot of marshmallows and applying whipped cream to eachofhisquills.Hisperspec- tivechangeswhenheformsan unlikelyfriendshipwitharhinoc- eros…namedHippo!It’sagreat story of self-acceptance and beingproudofwhoyouare.”
This year, if you want inspira- tionforbookstodonate,check outthedisplayonthefirstfloor oftheGaultLibraryofchil- dren’sandyoungadultbooks withDEI-relatedthemesfrom the Libraries’ collection. Dona- tions can be dropped off in the boxes provided at the Andrews and Timken Library Circula- tion Desks or the Research Help Desk in the Gault Library. Last year, the Libraries collected 128 books, 33 percent of which had DEI-related themes. They are looking to double that number thisyear.Ifyouwouldliketo donate,youcangotooneofthe librariesandgiveachildtheop- portunitytoreadabook.Booksgiving runs through Nov. 25.