"There is no frigate like a book" begins one of the most famous poems about reading, and its metaphorical meaning has never been more timely than now, when travel has been restricted and homebound situations more the norm.
The power of a book to transport one's mind to different places is the magic and wizardry of reading. Alas, most kids are muggles when it comes to mastering the craft.
In the nearly 30 years since the National Education Assessment Program has been measuring, the eighth-grade reading average has stubbornly hovered well below "proficient" for grade level. In the most recent biennial comparison, 2019 versus 2017, it declined three points.
Educators are already worried that premature school closings will stunt student learning and literacy, and temporary shutdowns of libraries and bookstores further hindered traditional summer reading programs.
Independent stores, particularly, have been hard-hit during the pandemic. And adapting Emily Dickinson's legendary line, for many readers there is no harbor like a local bookshop.
The American Bookseller Association lists 13 members in Arkansas, but not all small bookstores belong to that group. A quick Internet search suggests a higher number, perhaps as many as 20. Some of my favorites--such as The Spider's Webb in Walnut Ridge and Paper Chase in Batesville--aren't in the ABA directory.
If your community is lucky enough to have one, you're lucky enough, as the Irish say. And luckier still if you can keep it during the covid-induced downturn.
That's the stated mission of an outfit called Bookshop, an online book marketplace designed to support independent bookstores (www.bookshop.org).
Bookshop was created to offer an alternative to industry goliath Amazon, and it helps independent book retailers in two ways: It pays 10 percent of its sales to a pool of participating local stores, and allows any store to receive a 30 percent commission on any sales it refers through the site.
That's less than the normal 45 percent they might earn when selling books by themselves, but a lot more than the 4.5 percent Amazon offers for referrals. And they don't incur inventory or shipping costs.
Additionally, Bookshop lists nearby bookstores on every receipt it emails customers, and if a customer opts in, shares their email address with those local bookstores for direct marketing. And pages for local shops on the Bookshop.org website are free.
At the top of its home page, Bookshop displays how much money it has raised for local bookstores. During my browsing visit, the amount was $5.16 million. Bookshop has prospered during the pandemic, and is on course to exceed its original 2022 revenue target by the end of this year.
More than 750 bookstores have signed up (out of 1,880 ABA member stores), but only two so far in Arkansas. An interactive map makes searching for participating stores easy, and markers pop up for Two Friends Books and Records in Bentonville and Dog Ear Books in Russellville. Each has a page on Bookshop, personalized with information about the store and local staff pick lists and recommendations.
The Bookshop homepage features a prominent search function, and as you scroll down there are lots of lists organized around topics, preferences, timely subjects and genres. The categories are self-evident and tailored to diverse tastes.
"New Summer Books You Won't Be Able To Put Down" features 32 books, each with a summary description, discount savings and a tally of how much from its purchase goes to support local bookstores (which, admirably, is calculated off the list price).
Other lists include "Very Funny Novels By Women" (17 books), "Best Reviewed Books of the Week" (10 books) and "The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020: Summer Reading Edition" (86 books).
Most titles can be in your hands within three days, as fast or faster than Amazon since it deemed books "nonessential" and relaxed its two-day guarantee.
Another burgeoning avenue for readers is the Libby app, which links to local library cardholder accounts to offer e-books or audiobooks for borrowing, just like bound editions, at no charge.
OverDrive is the company that built Libby, and it reports that e-book loans increased 53 percent on average from mid-March to late June. The lion's share of that growth is in kids' selections: young adult nonfiction e-book checkouts were up 122 percent, and juvenile fiction up 93 percent.
Libby's reader ranks have swollen since the coronavirus sidelined everything, too. More than 343,000 people have created new digital library cards since March, which is more than twice the number created in all of 2019.
Overdrive's digital catalog of e-books and audiobooks now exceeds 4 million offerings.
For kids and adults alike, reviving the practice of reading is the best antidote to the narrow narrative tendencies of modern news and social media, where half-truth (if that much) headlines hark and proclaim predetermined orthodoxy that is closed to debate and dissent.
Remote reading for rural populations has never been more accessible--or more needed. For better understanding of everything "in the news," from race relations to history to liberty, our frigates have come in, if we're wise enough to get aboard.
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Dana D. Kelley is a freelance writer from Jonesboro.