The United States is experiencing a childhood literacy crisis. The biennial National Assessment of Educational Progress, considered the Nation’s Report Card, has shown that less than a third of fourth and eighth-grade students are reading at or above standard proficiency. This crisis could be attributed to several different factors: COVID, a nationwide teacher shortage, and even standard methodologies for teaching kids how to read.
One crucial element that can’t be overlooked, though, is that books can be expensive — and not everyone can easily afford or access them. Communities where books and print materials are particularly scarce are called book deserts. In order to help these areas grow into book gardens, we need to understand what exactly book deserts are, why they matter, and how people are helping them flourish.
What is a book desert?
A book desert is a geographic area that lacks access to books and other literacy resources, such as libraries. Book deserts tend to be in underfunded, economically disadvantaged communities, such as low-income urban neighborhoods. Many book deserts are remote and therefore difficult to access or develop infrastructure, such as Indian reservations and rural communities.
Unite for Literacy first brought the concept into widespread usage in 2014 when they created the U.S. Book Desert Map, an online resource showing the distribution of books nationwide. They’ve since released an updated version in collaboration with the Colorado State University Libraries’ Geospatial Centroid. The map illustrates the likelihood that homes in a given geographical tract have 100 or more books. Areas colored in darker shades are less likely to have this many books in an average household, and are therefore considered book deserts. Certain spots on the map where Unite for Literacy has concentrated its efforts are marked with diagonal lines as Book Equity Focal Areas.
Why do book deserts matter?
Research has indicated that the number of books in a child’s home will predict their academic success and school completion. Children in homes with 100 or more books tend to be more likely to read for fun and, therefore, more likely to read at a proficient level. But households aren’t the only places where print access makes a difference. Libraries and schools in book deserts also tend to suffer from a lack of books and other print materials. With so few books available, children in book deserts cannot develop or maintain their reading skills outside of the classroom.
Much of what we know about book deserts and how they affect literacy and academic performance comes from educator Dr. Susan B. Neuman. A study she conducted in 2001 found that while middle-income neighborhoods had 13 books available per child thanks to the presence of bookstores, low-income neighborhoods only had one age-appropriate book for every 300 children. Airline JetBlue funded a follow-up study in 2014, which analyzed six urban neighborhoods across three cities: Washington, D.C., Detroit, and Los Angeles. Neuman found that income segregation was a contributing factor in metropolitan book deserts: the geographical separation of different income groups aggravated resource disparities.
A later study from Room to Read points out that the problem goes deeper than just a lack of books. Many of the children living in book deserts are from marginalized communities that are historically underrepresented in literature. The inability to connect with and feel seen in the books they read may further dissuade these children from becoming habitual readers.
“A book desert isn’t a community-created situation. It’s because other people have decided not to invest into these communities. It’s not because these communities aren’t readers…Who better to invest in our people than us?”
Derrick Young, co-owner of MahoganyBooks
How can we help?
Several initiatives have arisen over the years to help bring books to people who need them. Unite for Literacy has partnered with numerous communities and organizations, including the Bureau of Indian Education, to reach families. They also have a free online library of over 600 early reader books narrated in more than 50 languages. Following the publication of the survey results they commissioned, JetBlue collaborated with Neuman on the Soar with Reading program, which installs free book vending machines in communities.
Neuman has also joined forces with other groups to increase the number of books in underserved communities. Working with the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail program, she’s created reading hubs in an unexpected location: laundromats. Establishing these Family Read, Play & Learn centers in spaces where parents run their everyday errands allows families to integrate reading into their normal routines. This not only eases the burden on working parents to carve out time to help foster their children’s reading skills, but also makes reading part of the child’s day-to-day life.
Many grassroots organizations have also sprung up to provide those living in book deserts with access to books and literacy resources. West Virginia native Rania Zuri founded the LiTEArary Society in high school to help Appalachian communities, where literacy development for both children and adults is particularly impacted. They’ve since expanded their reach to other areas across the country, and their sister organization, the Lemonade Society, works specifically to promote a love of reading among preschool-age children.
Some of these organizations operate with representation at the forefront of their mission. NDN Girls Book Club travels to reservations in their signature pink rezmobile, distributing free books from Indigenous writers. Bookstores such as the Black-owned MahoganyBooks and the BIPOC-owned pop-up Duende District make books accessible to racially marginalized readers that reflect their experiences.
Supporting these groups through donations is one way to help get books to those who most need them. End Book Desert has its own list of action items for people looking to join the cause, including volunteering with the National Book Access Association and holding book drives for local organizations. At a larger level, you can advocate for the importance of libraries and accessible public literacy resources. The recent funding cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services have threatened grants that provide critical financial support to American Indian and Native Hawaiian communities.
Literacy and education are fundamental human rights that can help significantly improve children’s lives. Now more than ever, we must ensure that all children are equipped with the tools to succeed.
Click here to learn more about NDN Girls Book Club’s mission to turn book deserts into book gardens.
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