It was Jennifer Williams’s mother who got her hooked on books. A librarian, she read to her three children every day. “Not until we went to kindergarten,” Williams said “Until we went to college.”

When Williams, now 54, became a teacher, she wanted her students to fall in love with reading just as she had. But early on, she realized that some kids had limited access to books.

“It’s very obvious to teachers of young children which kids are read to versus kids who are not,” she said. “It’s obvious at the end of the first day of school.” To Williams, the solution was simple: Give kids books. In 2017, as part of a civic event, she gave away 900 used children’s books over three days.

She said, “I wanted to do something that’s going to stretch my faith, my work ethic.” So she raised the ante considerably by setting a new goal for herself: Give away one million books. It sounds like an unreachable number, but as Williams said, “Don’t complain in the bleachers (露天看台) if you aren’t willing to work hard out on the field.”

So she got to work, first by roping in friends to donate books or money to buy books. Before long, as news of Williams’s project spreads strangers started leaving bundles of books on her front porch. As quickly as the books come in, Williams gives them to local schools—free of charge—and also supplies books to little free libraries. She also hosts a book club for inmates in the local jail.

In the four years she’s been doing all this. Williams has given away more than 78, 000 books! And she’s not slowing down.

It’s too important for kids with few options. “Reading can take you anywhere,” she said “You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything.”

Two years ago, Holmes participated in Back to School Bash. He was holding down two jobs at the time — one with the city’s public works department, the other as a barber. Saturday was his busiest hair-cutting day, but he chose to donate his time and give free haircuts to unfortunate kids so they’d look neat on that first day of classes. But then he had a light bulb moment: “The kids should earn their free haircut by having to read a book to me,” Holmes said.

The idea was so popular that he continued it the first Tuesday of every month for the next two years. Boys from five to ten years old would grab a favorite book, settle into the barber chair, and read aloud while Holmes was doing their hair. If they were puzzled over a word, Holmes was there to help. After the haircut, they’d review he book, from the characters and vocabulary to the themes — just like in school, only more fun. Holmes, who is married and has two sons, ages three and four, recognizes that not every parent has the time to read with their kids.

Holmes admits he, too, benefits from the process. “There was this seven-year-old who struggled through his book, stuttering over words even though he didn’t have a stutter (口吃),” said Holmes. He had the boy take the book home and practice. When the child came back a few days later, “He read it with no problems. That inspires me.”

Holmes and his family have recently moved to a Chicago suburb. When they get settled, he plans to take up his role as the Story-book Barber. “The way the world is today with guns and violence,” he says, “it’s a safe heaven for the kids, to come to the barbershop and read books.”

Reading is to success what water is to fish. Apparently, every successful person develops a passion for reading. This is because reading is the key to get the information required to understand something. For example, lawyers have to study and learn every established law on their specific branches. Sometimes the law changes according to people’ s needs. A good lawyer has to be informed about the latest news in the court. A doctor has to be informed of the latest advances in medicine.

Reading is very important for all mankind. Everything is relative in this world, especially reading. Reading can open many doors and it can lead you into a path of success. Studies have confirmed that reading to your unborn child is very good. This way your child will develop a passion for reading.

How do you develop a passion for reading? There is only one way you can boost your passion for reading. Let me explain this to you. If you want to learn how to ride a bike, you have to get on the bike as many times as possible until you have learned. It works the same way with reading. If you want to improve your reading, take a book and read it all the way through. When you finish reading your first book, take another book and do the same. Try to read as much as you can. If you are going out, take a magazine, a book, an article or something to read.

There is a very important factor behind the reading---reading comprehension. It’s what makes you understand the meaning behind the text. Let’s assume that you read a document and you are supposed to explain the meaning of the document. How would you explain the document if you couldn’t capture (捕捉) the message of the author?