A man called Kevin Kearney was the one who started it. The staff at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, still in shock and recovering from the massacre that had occurred in their town, were surprised to find a donation of books. Kevin Kearney wanted the library to have 620 copies of ‘The Healing Book’, a book written by Ellen Sabin that helps children – and adults – deal with grief and the passing of a loved one. The librarians accepted the donation, unaware that it was only the first of many more to come.
Kearney’s act of kindness unleashed a flood. Authors. Publishers. Readers. People who have lost those they loved. They donated book after book after book. Alana Bennison, a librarian at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, explained how the people of Newtown are responding. “People are taking the books home by the bagful”, she told a would-be donator. Because of all the donations, the library started a special program just to help with the overwhelming donations: ‘Books Heal Hearts.’ Now, the library is actually giving all the books they receive away. Readers are welcome to take any of the donated books, read them, write in them, and not worry about taking the books back. The library is grateful about the donations, but also cautious – they don’t want their library to be defined by the murders in their town. They’re eager to help their community rise up above their grief, moving on and helping each other as they continue to look forward.