My Heartfelt Passion

Book excerpt: In modern American society, the child who grows up without learning to read does not have a prayer when it comes to achieving true success in life. Unfortunately, this is the case for several million of our nation’s children. According to an April 2017 study by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read. Part of the reason is that 61% of low-income families have no books at all in the home for their pre-school children to read, a crucial time when reading development takes place. There is hope, and it can be found in My Heartfelt Passion: Saving our Nation one Child at a Time, written by Jim Davidson, nationally syndicated columnist who founded a unique literacy project called “Bookcase for Every Child” in his home town of Conway, Arkansas. This project has now spread to five other states. They have given over 2,000 personalized bookcases, and a starter set of books, to pre-school children being reared in low-income families. In the author’s easy, conversational style, he takes us to the day he was born and moves forward to share the people, events, and experiences that led him to develop a heartfelt passion for underprivileged children. He covers his personal history; how some children are born with advantages, while others are born with unspeakable disadvantages. After reading this book and lays it aside, anyone will know the ins and outs of organizing and starting a bookcase project in their own community that is sustainable and will make a difference. Without a doubt this project can be replicated in every community in America, and over time can become a tool to change the lives of preschool children. They will then have enthusiasm and hope that come only to literate people who can function as contributing members of society.