OUT OF MIND
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
Latest topics
» Is it possible to apply positive + in favor Newton III Motion Law as a dynamic system in a motor engine
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptySat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo

» Meta 1 Coin Scam Update - Robert Dunlop Arrested
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptySat Mar 23, 2024 12:14 am by RamblerNash

» As We Navigate Debs Passing
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Jan 08, 2024 6:18 pm by Ponee

» 10/7 — Much More Dangerous & Diabolical Than Anyone Knows
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyThu Nov 02, 2023 8:30 pm by KennyL

» Sundays and Deb.....
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptySun Oct 01, 2023 9:11 pm by NanneeRose

» African Official Exposes Bill Gates’ Depopulation Agenda: ‘My Country Is Not Your Laboratory’
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyThu Sep 21, 2023 4:39 am by NanneeRose

» DEBS HEALTH
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptySun Sep 03, 2023 10:23 am by ANENRO

» Attorney Reveals the “Exculpatory” Evidence Jack Smith Possesses that Exonerates President Trump
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyTue Aug 29, 2023 10:48 am by ANENRO

» Update From Site Owner to Members & Guests
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyTue Aug 29, 2023 10:47 am by ANENRO

» New global internet censorship began today
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 21, 2023 9:25 am by NanneeRose

» Alienated from reality
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 4:29 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Why does Russia now believe that Covid-19 was a US-created bioweapon?
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 4:27 pm by PurpleSkyz

»  Man reports history of interaction with seemingly intelligent orbs
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:34 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Western reactions to the controversial Benin Bronzes
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:29 pm by PurpleSkyz

» India unveils first images from Moon mission
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:27 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Scientists achieve nuclear fusion net energy gain for second time
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:25 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Putin Signals 5G Ban
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:07 pm by PurpleSkyz

» “Texas Student Dies in Car Accident — Discovers Life after Death”
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:05 pm by PurpleSkyz

» The hidden history taught by secret societies
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:03 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Vaccines and SIDS (Crib Death)
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 3:00 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Sun blasts out highest-energy radiation ever recorded, raising questions for solar physics
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptyMon Aug 07, 2023 2:29 pm by PurpleSkyz

» Why you should be eating more porcini mushrooms
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. EmptySun Aug 06, 2023 10:38 am by PurpleSkyz


You are not connected. Please login or register

A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing.

Go down  Message [Page 1 of 1]

PurpleSkyz

PurpleSkyz
Admin

A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing.


There is no such thing as book heaven. Unless you're in Bogota, Colombia, and know an angel named Jose.


  • by James Gaines



What do you do with old books?

You might pass them along to a friend, donate them, or add them to one of those Little Free Libraries. But, let's be honest, a good amount of used books end up in the trash.
If you live in Bogota, Colombia, the person who picks up your discarded book might be José Alberto Gutiérrez. And if Gutierrez finds your old book, it is one lucky little book indeed.
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. 258967309651-feed551880ad33a528a9b9c97e0fbe5e.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.3
Share
Gutiérrez at work. Photo by AP Photo/Fernando Vergara.

For the past 20 years, Gutiérrez has been on a mission to save discarded books.

A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. GettyImages-692769832-c2f16c2daefbbaec397629762ee94dc5.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.3
Share
Bookshelves piled on top of bookshelves? Looks like my room. Photo by Guillermo Legaria/AFP/Getty Images.
Gutiérrez, a garbage man, saves old books that other people have thrown away. Books are usually left separate from the rest of the rubbish, and if they're in good condition, Gutiérrez picks them up and takes them home.
Though Gutiérrez's collection started with a single book (Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina"), today the total number of recovered reads has grown to roughly 25,000 at last count. The books take up the entire ground floor of his house, stacked up into great walls and mountains of pages.
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. 351347030656-6af4ed0ec4dc5c2f135699dbd701f3a7.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.3
Share
"I want that one!" Photo by Fernando Vergara/AP.
As the collection grew, people began to take notice. Visitors would ask if they could borrow a book or two to help their kids get ready for school.

The whole endeavor is now a community library: "La Fuerza de las Palabras" — "The Strength of Words" in Spanish.

A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. GettyImages-692769902-598672a03c124ef41c5f8dd330cd8d39.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.3
Share
Think of how much they must weigh! Photo by Guillermo Legaria/AFP/Getty Images.
Gutiérrez's family helps run the project, coordinating pickups, doing the administrative work, and organizing events.

But more than instilling a love of books, the program is also about giving kids a leg up in education.

Gutiérrez lives in the La Nueva Gloria barrio, a low-income neighborhood in southern Bogota. When he started, the community's single school didn't have a library of its own. A donation from Gutiérrez helped fix that.
In fact, since he's started, Gutiérrez has donated reading materials to 235 different schools and communities.
A garbage man saved 25,000 books and turned them into a library. The pictures are amazing. 288614539169-b039cf3fceed41d8431fda7559055c6f.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=imgixjs-3.3
Share
Photo by Fernando Vergara/AP.
"The whole value of what we do lies in helping kids start reading," Gutiérrez told Al Jazeera.
"I grew up, here and I can tell you it got me a Ph.D. in marginalization and poverty," Gutiérrez said. "Kids here don't have a place to study; instead, they have to start working early."

Today the library has become a fixture of the city.

Gutiérrez has been invited to book fairs and profiled by local newspapers. An old, donated ambulance has been turned into a bookmobile. There are even plans to build a real brick-and-mortar building.
The other garbage truck drivers know exactly where to bring books if they find any. There is no such thing as book heaven, but La Fuerza de las Palabras must be pretty dang close.

Share image: Guillermo Legaria/AFP/Getty Images.


Thanks to: https://www.upworthy.com



  

Back to top  Message [Page 1 of 1]

Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum