International #Literacy Day... [UPDATED]

"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers."

~Harry S. Truman

For over 40 years UNESCO  has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the international community that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning. "Shockingly, more than 796 million adults (nearly two-thirds of whom are women) and 130 million youth in the world cannot read and write. #Illiteracy is costing the world economy over USD $1 trillion dollars each year. Lifting the education level of the adult population by one year, could result in a 6% increase in per capita income; the global community is literally throwing money away." -World Literacy Foundation (April 2012); The Economic and Social Costs of Illiteracy.

According to a study performed by researchers Hart and Risley in the US, "children of professional families hear an average of 2,153 words per hour, in working class families 1,251 words per hour, and in welfare families only 616 words per hour." The sad truth/consequence of this is that illiterate people are typically trapped in a cycle of poverty with limited opportunities for employment or income generation; they also have significantly higher chances of poor health and often turn to crime and/or dependence on social welfare or charity to survive.

I was fortunate to be raised in a household with parents who were both avid readers. As a result, I developed a voracious appetite for reading very early on -- books, magazines, billboards, street signs (seriously, I used to annoy the hell out of my parents while we were driving down the road) -- absolutely ANYthing in print. Finances were tight growing up, so purchasing books was not common for my family; frequent trips to the library were required to keep us all 'in books'. In fact, once my father retired he would often read one book per day! I lost my appreciation for the public library when I was older and gainfully employed, usually choosing to pick up a book in a store when I was running errands rather than make a separate trip to the library. Now, as an unemployed person, I am once again making regular trips to the local public library, and I am grateful for the selection of FREE books available to me anytime.

Speaking of the #library, I picked up a new book yesterday by my favorite current fiction writer and it's calling my name as I type; time to wrap this up... If you're passionate about reading like me, find Volunteer opportunities in your community at VolunteerMatch (use keyword: literacy). In addition, information on other ways to help in the US and around the world is available through the following organizations: ProLiteracy, Room To Read, International Reading Association, FirstBook, International Book Project; for readers in the Finger Lakes region, please educate yourselves about the Family Reading Partnership. Happy reading to all!

UPDATE 09/10/12 -- Check these websites out!

These sites recommend new books/authors based on #books you've enjoyed #reading:
What Should I Read Next?  Your Next Read 

This site recommends books based on a particular topic: Lazy Library

This site recommends books based on your mood: WhichBook