When Sarah Galvin, co-owner of The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, N.Y., heard about the October 1 shootings in Las Vegas, she knew she wanted to do something to counter the tragedy by sending out a message of hope and kindness.
For Galvin, R.J. Palacio’s novel Wonder, about a fifth-grade boy born with a facial deformity, which delivers a powerful statement about the importance of tolerance and acceptance, embodies that message. Last week, Galvin set up an instore display of R.J. Palacio’s Wonder and began donating a copy of the book to every customer. She plans to continue to give away the books through the end of the month.
“I chose Wonder,” Galvin said, “because I distinctly remember finishing the book and thinking ‘this world would be a better place if everyone read Wonder.’ I am a firm believer we can make this world a better place with small acts of kindness.”
In the first five days since the display went up and the bookstore posted the giveaway on its Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, Galvin has shared copies of the book with 64 customers.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Galvin said. “People are blown away that we are just giving away the book and reminding them to #choosekind. In fact we had a doctor pick up a copy, and he was moved to tears.”
Galvin also received a donation of her own: 25 copies of Wonder from Doug Greenhut at the Book Company, which sells promotional books and journals, to help with the giveaway.
