Like Laura, Melissa Hart found refuge, safety, and a sense of freedom in books that was missing in her childhood. She and Laura connected because of a shared love of books and the idea that “books make me feel rich.”
Laura reached out to Melissa after reading an essay Melissa submitted to Real Simple magazine about building a Little Free Library in her yard in Oregon. Laura has always loved seeing them, and sometimes longs for one of her own, so when she saw an opportunity to connect with someone who had built one, a great conversation was soon in the works!
As the conversation flows, Melissa introduces the idea of Bibliotherapy – using books in an intentional way for connection, recognition, healing, and understanding. She first learned of the concept in an independent bookstore that arranged its books by topic rather than author, so readers could quickly find stories that resonated with their personal experiences and allowed them to feel seen, heard, understood.
Melissa decided to try it in a more intense way when her adopted daughter was struggling in school. She had experienced significant loss in her young life and was not settling in at school, so Melissa rearranged her life to be able to home school with a curriculum built around literature.
Then one day, she saw a Little Free Library in a park and was mesmerized! Loving the generosity of it – “Take a book! Leave a book!” – she knew she wanted one of her own. So, as a family, they built one, using old windows from their house, and placed it in their yard.
“It’s always a great surprise,” she explained. “You never know what you’ll find in it…” As people are taking and leaving new books and magazines frequently. It’s become yet another connection and bonding opportunity for their close-knit neighborhood. And Melissa has even come to planning her daily runs to ensure she passes other neighborhood libraries, often using it as an opportunity to exchange books from one to another, ensuring an ongoing mix and variety in what’s available.
As for Melissa’s daughter, Bibliotherapy has proven to be a powerful healing tool… Perhaps it’s something you might find solace and healing in, as well.
Listen in as Melissa and Laura discuss the power of books and share some of their favorites, then share your thoughts:
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Melissa’s Bio
Melissa Hart is Contributing Editor at The Writer Magazine and author of Better with Books: 500 Diverse Novels to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens (Sasquatch, 2019), plus the award-winning middle-grade novel Avenging the Owl (Sky Pony, 2016). Her essays have appeared in Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Spirituality & Health, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, Working Mother, and numerous other publications. She lives in Oregon with her husband and daughter, five chickens, three cats, and one very patient terrier.
