Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

If everyone loved reading as much as this 8-year-old does, the world would be better

WKYC

“The world needs books! What would the world be like without books? They fuel our mind like cars and gas! The cars can’t go without gas. Our brains can’t go without books. The world needs books. We. Need. Books. It would break my heart if one book was lost. If just a page, just a word, just a letter was gone. I would be heartbroken. What would the world do without books? It would be empty. Like a bucket without water. Like a brain without knowledge. Like a file cabinet without papers. We need books. The world would be black and white without books. The world would be blank without books. A long time ago, it was blank, until books came to the world. And everything was opened up. Colors came. Inventors were born. Inventions were made. The world was a better place. And that all started with books.”

That's the monologue 8-year-old Madison delivered when a reporter from Cleveland's WKYC —who very clearly was not expecting such a passionate message — asked her what she thought of her neighborhood's participation in the Little Free Library program.

And that’s not even the whole interview. This kid’s love for reading knows no bounds. She should have all the books she wants, any time she wants them. And we should figure out how to make sure no books are ever lost, so her heart doesn’t break.

Little Free Library puts small structures designed for lending and borrowing books in communities that don’t have full libraries. And it may have just found its spokesperson.

See More:

More in archives

archives
Ethics and Guidelines at Vox.comEthics and Guidelines at Vox.com
archives
By Vox Staff
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will decide if the government can ban transgender health careThe Supreme Court will decide if the government can ban transgender health care
Supreme Court

Given the Court’s Republican supermajority, this case is unlikely to end well for trans people.

By Ian Millhiser
archives
On the MoneyOn the Money
archives

Learn about saving, spending, investing, and more in a monthly personal finance advice column written by Nicole Dieker.

By Vox Staff
archives
Total solar eclipse passes over USTotal solar eclipse passes over US
archives
By Vox Staff
archives
The 2024 Iowa caucusesThe 2024 Iowa caucuses
archives

The latest news, analysis, and explainers coming out of the GOP Iowa caucuses.

By Vox Staff
archives
The Big SqueezeThe Big Squeeze
archives

The economy’s stacked against us.

By Vox Staff