Review | The Gifts of Reading: an inspiring celebration of the written word and human kindness
Authors including Salley Vickers, Philip Pullman and Pico Iyer have contributed essays to an anthology whose sale proceeds will benefit global education initiative Room to Read,
The Gifts of Reading curated by Jennie Orchard, Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 4/5 stars
Books, it is often said, are the gifts that never stop giving. And if ever there were a testament to that epithet, it is this inspired and inspiring anthology. Featuring essays from 23 of the world’s most beloved authors, including Michael Ondaatje, Philip Pullman, Jan Morris, Chigozie Obioma, Salley Vickers and Madeleine Thien, this collection, conceived and nurtured in a spirit of altruism, is freighted with such wonder and generosity it is also a testament to the best that resides in the human soul.
The book takes its title and its cues from Robert Macfarlane’s popular 2016 essay about the gifts of reading, gift-giving and friendship. But it owes its existence to the farsightedness of its curator, Jennie Orchard, a long-time Hong Kong resident and long-term supporter of Room to Read, the transformational global education non-profit to which all contributors to The Gifts of Reading have donated their royalties.
Like others, Orchard was captivated by Wood’s bold goal of impacting 10 million children by 2020, and reveals that by the end of this year, Room to Read will have achieved twice its target.