Kids Ruin Everything. The Story of a Little Library in Brooklyn
- Marilyn K. Yee/ New York Times
- There go those kids again. Ruining everything.
The New York Times reports on what might be the beginning of a new trend in Brooklyn—the emergence of an outpost of The Little Free Library on a a tree-lined street in Prospect Heights.
Leaving aside the redundancy in calling something a “free library,” the name of this endeavor is pretty on point because the little wooden box is just 20 inches by 24 inches and sits on St. Mark’s Avenue, inviting passerbys to “Take a Book, Leave a Book.”
Although the free library is supposed to be for everyone, as is usually the case in Brooklyn these days, children appear to have taken over.
So, the Times doesn’t say it explicitly, but it seems pretty clear to me that what is supposed to be a community venture has now been hijacked by the knee-high members of the neighborhood.
Some little kid is even quoted as saying, “Why are there only grown-up books in here?”
Seriously?
I’ll tell you why.
Because grown-up books are better and appeal to more people, kid! You and your grubby little friends haven’t out-numbered us yet!
I mean, one of the books available was by Elie Wiesel.
Learn something on your summer vacation, little boy.
Expand your mind! Is six-years-old really too young to read “Night”?
Who’s to say?
I mean, was an adult quoted as saying, “I wanted to pick up a book, but the box was full of the Hardy Boys?”
No, of course not. Because we—as adults living in Brooklyn—just suck it up and move on.
And then do you know what we do?
We buy books.
Because we’re adults. And have money.
Take that little kids.
Enjoy your library and the books that you’re just gonna have to give back because your parents won’t buy you nice things.
Happy reading everybody!
