<!doctype html>



				
									
<html class="no-js" lang="en">


<head>
	
		
		
	
	
	<title>Hurricane Harvey Book Club offers readers of all ages a literary oasis - CSMonitor.com</title>

	<meta charset="utf-8">
	<meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge">
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

	
						<meta name="author" content="The Christian Science Monitor"  />
								<meta name="copyright" content="The Christian Science Monitor"  />
								<meta name="description" content="A Facebook page started by a Texas teacher as a way to help distract displaced students has blossomed to nearly 50,000 members – including as far away as Ukraine. "  />
								<meta name="keywords" content=""  />
								<meta name="news_keywords" content=""  />
								<meta property="fb:app_id" content="179793002061452"  />
								<meta property="fb:pages" content="14660729657"  />
								<meta property="og:site_name" content="The Christian Science Monitor"  />
								<meta property="og:type" content="article"  />
								<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.csmonitor.com/EqualEd/2017/0831/Hurricane-Harvey-Book-Club-offers-readers-of-all-ages-a-literary-oasis"  />
								<meta property="og:description" content="A Facebook page started by a Texas teacher as a way to help distract displaced students has blossomed to nearly 50,000 members – including as far away as Ukraine. "  />
								<meta property="og:image" content="https://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=standard_900x600"  />
								<meta property="og:image:width" content="900"  />
								<meta property="og:image:height" content="600"  />
								<meta name="csm.image.std" content="https://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=standard_380x253"  />
								<meta name="csm.image.credit" content="Adrees Latif/Reuters"  />
								<meta property="og:title" content="Hurricane Harvey Book Club offers readers of all ages a literary oasis "  />
								<meta name="csm.tags" content="section-equaled,class-article,storysource-monitor"  />
								<meta name="csm.author" content="Stacy Teicher Khadaroo"  />
								<meta name="csm.date" content="2017-08-31"  />
								<meta property="article:published_time" content="2017-08-31T15:50-05"  />
								<meta name="DC.date.issued" content="2017-08-31T15:50:40-04:00"  />
								<meta name="csm.content.id" content="b58d5036a8ac4520bada5523d35d2519"  />
								<meta name="csm.content.body" content="https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/rssfull/EqualEd/2017/0831/Hurricane-Harvey-Book-Club-offers-readers-of-all-ages-a-literary-oasis"  />
								<meta property="article:section" content="EqualEd"  />
								<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"  />
								<meta name="twitter:site" content="@csmonitor"  />
								<meta name="twitter:title" content="Hurricane Harvey Book Club offers readers of all ages a literary oasis "  />
								<meta name="twitter:description" content="A Facebook page started by a Texas teacher as a way to help distract displaced students has blossomed to nearly 50,000 members – including as far away as Ukraine. "  />
								<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=standard_380x253"  />
			
	<link rel="Home"   href="/" title="CSMonitor.com front page" />
	<link rel="Index"  href="/" />
	<link rel="Search" href="/content/search" title="Search CSMonitor.com" />
	<link rel="icon" href="/extension/csm_base/design/standard/images/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" />
	<link rel="icon" href="/extension/csm_base/design/standard/images/icon_csm_32.png" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" />

	
					
				
	
										<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.csmonitor.com/EqualEd/2017/0831/Hurricane-Harvey-Book-Club-offers-readers-of-all-ages-a-literary-oasis" />
																
	
	
	
			<link rel="amphtml" href="https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/amphtml/EqualEd/2017/0831/Hurricane-Harvey-Book-Club-offers-readers-of-all-ages-a-literary-oasis" />
	
	
																		
						<link rel="Alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="The Christian Science Monitor RSS" href="http://rss.csmonitor.com/feeds/csm" />
						
	
	<link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans:300,400,600,700,800" rel="stylesheet">
	
	<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/var/ezflow_site/cache/public/stylesheets/55d3ccbf1b559ce3475ad8d6b53f3a23_1517997646_all.css" />


	

	
	<script id="meta-schema-org" type="application/ld+json">
		{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/EqualEd\/2017\/0831\/Hurricane-Harvey-Book-Club-offers-readers-of-all-ages-a-literary-oasis","copyrightHolder":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Christian Science Monitor"}},"headline":"Hurricane Harvey Book Club offers readers of all ages a literary oasis ","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Christian Science Monitor","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/extension\/csm_base\/design\/csm_design\/images\/logo_white_250x63.png","width":250,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/images.csmonitor.com\/csm\/2017\/08\/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=standard_900x600","width":900,"height":600,"caption":"A woman reads a book at the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission during Hurricane Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas, Aug. 25.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Adrees Latif\/Reuters"}},"description":"A Facebook page started by a Texas teacher as a way to help distract displaced students has blossomed to nearly 50,000 members \u2013 including as far away as Ukraine. ","datePublished":"2017-08-31T15:50:40-04:00","dateModified":"2017-08-31T15:50:40-04:00","author":[{"@type":"person","name":"Stacy Teicher Khadaroo"}]}
	</script>

	
		<script id="page-meta-data" type="application/json">
		{"contentobject_id":"1045834","node_id":"1052365","class_identifier":"csm_article","contentclass_id":"45","sections":["EqualEd"],"title_addition":"0","result_page":"","story_source":"monitor","staff_line":"staff writer","aspect_format":"www","view_mode":"full-r16-simple","remote_id":"b58d5036a8ac4520bada5523d35d2519","brand_profile":"","kickers":"","word_count":719,"tags":["Verticals (10)"],"ddp":false}
	</script>
		
	
		
	
	<script>
	
		var csmJs =
		{
			scriptStartTime : new Date().getTime(),
			eZBaseUrl: '',
			getMicroData : function()
			{
				return JSON.parse( document.getElementById( 'meta-schema-org' ).innerText );
			},
			getPageData : function()
			{
				return JSON.parse( document.getElementById( 'page-meta-data' ).innerText );
			},
		};
	
	</script>

	
	
	
	

		<script type="text/javascript" src="/var/ezflow_site/cache/public/javascript/6445fa5eba108bdc74ab34c7b925d402_1516786998.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


			<script src="//assets.adobedtm.com/ce1c8decc004d96de218cd33a2ac01ff97515146/satelliteLib-323af6d45e4d3a09f86ec680a2f56b9a749fffa0.js"></script>
	</head>

<body class="r16 ezc-csm_article ezp-r-simple ezp-verticals eztag-equaled">
	
	<div id="csm-page-bound">
	
					
<header class="layer-fixed">
	<div id="csm-header-content" class="collapse row">

		
		<div class="float-left">
			<a id="main-menu-btn" tabindex="0">
				<i class="icon-menu"></i>
				<span class="visible-scroll-top show-for-large">Menu</span>
			</a>

			<span class="visible-scroll-top search show-for-large">
				<a href="/content/search">
					<i class="icon-search"></i>
				</a>
			</span>

			
			<span class="visible-scroll-down">
									
	
<div id="ezve-r16-sticky-nav-center" class="eznid-1009227">								<div id="ezve-r16-sticky-nav-center-block" class="ezc-csm_html_block ezn-R16_Sticky_Nav_Center_EqualEd ">		<h3><a href="/EqualEd">EqualEd</a></h3>
	</div>	</div>
							</span>
		</div>

		<div class="float-right">
			

			<div class="visible-scroll-top">

				<ul class="tools-menu">
					<li class="tool-bar-subscribe right-popup-trigger show-for-medium i-label">
						<a>Subscribe</a>
					</li>

					<li class="right-popup-trigger">
						<i class="icon-gear"></i>
					</li>

					<div class="right-popup">
						<div id="popup-subscription">
							<strong>Subscription Information</strong>
							<ul>
								<li><a href="/r-top-ddp-sub">Subscribe to the Monitor Daily</a></li>
								<li><a href="/r-top-ddp-give">Give the Monitor Daily</a></li>
								<li><a href="/r-top-wk-sub">Subscribe to the Monitor Weekly</a></li>
								<li><a href="/r-top-wk-give">Give the Monitor Weekly</a></li>
								<li><a href="/r-top-mng">Manage Account</a></li>
							</ul>
							<strong>Free Newsletter</strong>
							<ul>
								<li><a href="/r-top-nslr">Sign up</a></li>
							</ul>
						</div>
					</div>
				</ul>
			</div>

			
			<div class="visible-scroll-down header-tool-icons">
				<div class="share-tools-wrapper float-left">
					

	
																																	
	<div id="share-tools-sticky-nav-larger" class="share-tools-wrapper ">
		
		<ul
			class="share-tools"
								>
			<li class="share-facebook"><i class="icon-facebook"></i></li>
			<li class="share-twitter"><i class="icon-twitter"></i></li>
			<li class="share-email"><i class="icon-mail"></i></li>
					</ul>
	</div>				</div>

												<div class="story-tool float-left show-for-large">
					<a class="print" href="/layout/set/print/EqualEd/2017/0831/Hurricane-Harvey-Book-Club-offers-readers-of-all-ages-a-literary-oasis" title="Print">
						<i class="icon-print"></i>
					</a>
				</div>
							</div>
		</div>

		
		<div id="csm-masthead" class="visible-scroll-top">
			<a href="/">
				<img alt="csm masthead" src="/extension/csm_responsive/design/csm_design/images/masthead-large.png" />
			</a>
		</div>
	</div>
</header>


<nav id="main-menu-nav" class="layer-fixed">
	
	<div class="hide-for-large search">
		<form method="get" action="/content/search">
			<input type="text" name="SearchText" class="empty" value="Search" />
		</form>
	</div>

	
	<div class="visible-scroll-down show-for-large search">
		<form method="get" action="/content/search">
			<input type="text" name="SearchText" class="empty" value="Search" />
		</form>
	</div>

			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix hide-for-medium">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>Subscribe</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 hide-for-medium">
				<a href="/r-nav-ddp-sub">Subscribe to the Monitor Daily</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 hide-for-medium">
				<a href="/r-nav-ddp-give">Give the Monitor Daily</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 hide-for-medium">
				<a href="/r-nav-wk-sub">Subscribe to the Monitor Weekly</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 hide-for-medium">
				<a href="/r-nav-wk-give">Give the Monitor Weekly</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 hide-for-medium">
				<a href="/r-nav-mng">Manage Account</a>
			</div>

			
						</div>
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix highlight">
				<a class="float-left" href="/Daily">
			<span>Monitor Daily Current Issue</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
				<a class="float-left" href="/">
			<span>Home</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>World</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World">All World</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Africa">Africa</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Americas">Americas</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Asia-Pacific">Asia Pacific</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Asia-South-Central">Asia: South &amp; Central</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Europe">Europe</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Middle-East">Middle East</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Olympics">Pyeongchang Olympics</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Progress-Watch">Progress Watch</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/World/Making-a-difference">People Making a Difference</a>
			</div>

			
												<div class="level3">
						<a href="/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent">Change Agent</a>
					</div>
										</div>
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>USA</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA">All USA</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA/Politics">Politics</a>
			</div>

			
												<div class="level3">
						<a href="/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast">Monitor Breakfast</a>
					</div>
									<div class="level3">
						<a href="/USA/Politics/Decoder">Decoder</a>
					</div>
												<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA/Foreign-Policy">Foreign Policy</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA/Military">Military</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA/Justice">Justice</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA/Education">Education</a>
			</div>

			
												<div class="level3">
						<a href="/EqualEd">EqualEd</a>
					</div>
									<div class="level3">
						<a href="/EqualEd/EqualEd-Voices">EqualEd Voices</a>
					</div>
												<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/USA/Society">Society</a>
			</div>

			
						</div>
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>Commentary</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary">All Commentary</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary/the-monitors-view">The Monitor's View</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary/Readers-Respond">Readers Respond</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary/upfront-blog">Upfront Blog</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary/Global-Newsstand">Global Newsstand</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary/Monitor-Political-Cartoons">Monitor Political Cartoons</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective">A Christian Science Perspective</a>
			</div>

			
						</div>
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
				<a class="float-left" href="/Business">
			<span>Economy</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>Science &amp; Nature</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Science">Science</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Environment">Environment</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Technology">Technology</a>
			</div>

			
						</div>
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>Culture</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture">All Culture</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Arts">Arts</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Full-Frame">Full Frame Photoblog</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Music">Music</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Movies">Movies</a>
			</div>

			
												<div class="level3">
						<a href="/The-Culture/Movies/Monitor-Movie-Guide">Monitor Movie Guide</a>
					</div>
												<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/TV">TV</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Verbal-Energy">Verbal Energy</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/The-Home-Forum">The Home Forum</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Family">Family</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/The-Culture/Food">Food</a>
			</div>

			
												<div class="level3">
						<a href="/The-Culture/Food/Stir-It-Up/Topics">Recipe Categories</a>
					</div>
										</div>
		
</div>			<div class="closed">

	
	<div class="level1 clearfix ">
		<i class="float-right icon-chevron-down"></i>		<a class="float-left" >
			<span>Books</span>
		</a>
	</div>
	
		<div class="menu-group">
					<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Books">All Books</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Books/Book-Reviews">Book Reviews</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Books/chapter-and-verse">Chapter &amp; Verse</a>
			</div>

			
								<div class="level2 ">
				<a href="/Books/Readers-Picks">Readers' Picks</a>
			</div>

			
						</div>
		
</div>			
<div class="closed">
	<div class="level1 clearfix">
		<a class="float-left" href="/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Week/2018/02-12-Photos-of-the-week">
			<span>Photos of the Week</span>
		</a>
	</div>
</div>
	</nav>			
		
		 

																




















		
	
													
	
		
					
					




	
				
	
	


				
	
	
	
	

	




																						

														

	


									


	
		
			
		
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
			
	
	






		
<div id="csm-page-top">
	<div id="csm-section_branding" class="full-bleed">
		
	
<div id="ezve-section-branding-r14" class="eznid-1008630">								<div id="ezve-section-branding-r14-block" class="ezc-csm_html_block ezn-R16_EqualEd ">		<style type="text/css">
/* For R14 and R16 */
	#branding-container {
		background-color:#6c3e73; /*Change banner background color here*/
		color: #FFFFFF;
	}
	#ui-page-header #section-branding #branding-container .branding_content {
		padding: 18px 130px;
	}
	#branding-container .logo {
		float:left;
		margin-right: 11px;
	}
	#ezve-section-branding-r14 #branding-container .branding_content .head {
		font-size:36px;
		font-weight: 400;
		padding-top: 7px;
	}
	#ezve-section-branding-r14 #branding-container .branding_content .description {
		display: inline-block;
		font-size:14px;
		font-family: "Open Sans",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
		letter-spacing: normal;
		line-height: 1.1;
		padding-left: 3px;
	}
/* R16 Only */
	.r16 #branding-container .branding_content {
		padding: .8em 0;
	}
	.r16 #ezve-section-branding-r14 #branding-container .branding_content .head {
		line-height: 1.2;
		padding-top: 11px;
	}
	@media only screen and (max-width:1023px) {
		.r16 #branding-container .branding_content {
			padding: .75em 0;
		}
		.r16 #branding-container .logo{
			width: 70px;
		}
		.r16 #ezve-section-branding-r14 #branding-container .branding_content .head {
			font-size: 26px;
			line-height: 1.1;
			padding-top: 12px;
		}
		.r16 #ezve-section-branding-r14 #branding-container .branding_content .description {
			font-size: 10.78px;
		}
	}
	@media only screen and (max-width:640px){
		.r16 #branding-container .branding_content {
			padding: 0.6em 0;
			padding-bottom: .9em;
		}
		.r16 #ezve-section-branding-r14 #branding-container .branding_content .head {
			font-size: 1.7em;
			padding-top: 0;
		}
	}
</style>

<div id="branding-container">
	<div class="row columns">
		<div class="branding_content clearfix">
				<div class="logo">
					<a href="/EqualEd"><img class="hide-for-small-only" src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2016/08/999225_1_icon_70_equalEd_standard.png?alias=original" height="90" width="90" alt="EqualEd​" title="EqualEd​" /></a>
				</div>
				<div class="head text-center medium-text-left"><a href="/EqualEd">EqualEd</a></div>
				<div class="description hide-for-small-only">Young lives. Old problems. New solutions.</div>
		</div>
 	</div>
</div>
	</div>	</div>
	</div>
	
	
	
			
		
	
<div id="ezve-r16-below-header-2" class="eznid-1009226">								<div id="ezve-r16-below-header-2-block" class="ezc-csm_html_block ezn-R16_Top_Banner_Ad_Slot ">		<div id="ad-header" class="ad-wrapper"></div>
	</div>	</div>
		
	
</div>	
<article>
<div id="story-content-bound" class="row">

	
		
	
					
			<div id="main-media" class="small-11 medium-10 small-centered columns media-credit">
	
												<div class="media-container">
				<div class="imageObjectEmbed full-bleed">
											
<figure class="embed ezc-image ">
																							
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
		
		
			
			<picture>
				<!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;><![endif]-->
				
					
					
					
																		
					
					
																															
					
																
					<source
						media="(max-width: 40em)"
						data-srcset="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=standard_300x200 1x, //images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=standard_600x400 2x" />
				
					
					
					
																		
					
					
																															
					
																
					<source
						media="(max-width: 64em)"
						data-srcset="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=cinema_600x320 1x, //images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=cinema_1200x640 2x" />
				
					
					
					
																		
					
					
																
					
																
					<source
						media="(min-width: 64em)"
						data-srcset="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=cinema_1200x640 1x, //images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=cinema_1200x640 2x" />
								<!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]-->
				<img
					data-src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/0901-HARVEY-Book-1.jpg?alias=cinema_600x320"
					data-sizes="auto"
					class=" lazyload"
					alt="">
			</picture>

						</figure>
				</div>
							</div>
							<div class="caption-bar text-wrapper full-bleed">
					<div class="eza-caption">A woman reads a book at the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission during Hurricane Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas, Aug. 25.</div>
				</div>
						
							<div class="source-data image-credit-container text-wrapper full-bleed">
					<div class="image-credit-wrapper">
						<div class="image-credit">			<span class="eza-credit">Adrees Latif/Reuters</span></div>
						 <div class="divider">|</div> 						<div class="caption-trigger">Caption</div>					</div>
				</div>
						
				
	</div>
	
	<div class="story-head small-11 medium-9 large-8 small-centered columns">

		<div class="share-tools-wrapper near-story-body">
			<hr>
			

	
																																	
	<div id="share-tools-top-of-story" class="share-tools-wrapper ">
		
		<ul
			class="share-tools"
								>
			<li class="share-facebook"><i class="icon-facebook"></i></li>
			<li class="share-twitter"><i class="icon-twitter"></i></li>
			<li class="share-email"><i class="icon-mail"></i></li>
					</ul>
	</div>		</div>

		<h1 id="headline" class="eza-title">
							
Hurricane Harvey Book Club offers readers of all ages a literary oasis 					</h1>

		<div id="head-tag">	
	

 

	
				


				
	
																					

				
	</div>
		
					<h2 id="summary" class="eza-summary ">
								
<p>A Facebook page started by a Texas teacher as a way to help distract displaced students has blossomed to nearly 50,000 members – including as far away as Ukraine.&nbsp;</p>			</h2>
				
		<div class="story-attribution row expanded columns clearfix">
		
			<div id="byline" class="eza-authors float-left">
				
		
<ul>	
	
									
	
																																				
	<li class="author-container clearfix">
		<div class="author-image float-left">
							
					
					
		   		
				
			
																						
							
					
													
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
		
		
									
		
					<a href="/About/People/Stacy-Teicher-Khadaroo" >			<img
				class=" "
				src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2016/09/872480_2_Stacy-Teicher-Khadaroo.jpg_standard.jpg?alias=square_200x200"				alt=""
			/>
			</a>			
											</div>
		
		<div class="author-info float-left">
			<div class="author-name"><a href="/About/People/Stacy-Teicher-Khadaroo" rel="author">Stacy Teicher Khadaroo</a></div>
			<div class="author-detail">
				<span class="staffline">Staff writer</span>				<span class="divider">|</span>				<a href=https://twitter.com/StacyTKhadaroo class="social-handle"><i class="icon-twitter-alt"></i> <span class="text">@StacyTKhadaroo</span></a>			</div>
		</div>
	</li>

	
	
</ul>


			</div>
			
			
		</div>
	</div>

	<div class="story-body eza-body">
		<p><span class="pubdata"><time id="date-published" class="eza-publish_date outer_block all_caps" datetime="2017-08-31T15:50:40-04:00" title="Published: August 31, 2017 3:50 pm EDT">August 31, 2017
</time></span><span class="pubdata separator">—</span>It’s evacuation time, but a boy runs back in to get one last thing: a book. He’s heard about the Hurricane Harvey Book Club on Facebook, and he wants to join in.</p><p>That’s one of thousands of stories people have posted to the closed discussion group this week, along with videos and live streams of themselves or their children reading books aloud. In this literary oasis, toddlers have shared tongue-twisting moments reading favorite board books. Moms have written about how they’ve lost everything, but now they’ve got joyful tears because their children are so happy to hear the stories and share their reading with the club.</p><p>Authors and teachers have bookended their stories with reassuring smiles and virtual hugs. Posts have come in multiple languages and from as far away as Ukraine.</p><div id="ad-body-1" class="ad-wrapper"></div><p>The book club is the creation of Kathryn Butler Mills, an elementary school teacher in Katy, Texas, who saw pictures of kids waiting out the floods in bathrooms and under staircases, some with books in hand.</p><p>“On Sunday I just woke up with it heavy in my heart and knew that the worst had not gotten here yet and they just needed a distraction,” she says in a phone interview.</p><p>She sent out invitations to about 70 parents of current and former students that afternoon. By Thursday afternoon, membership had surged past 49,000. It’s just one of the countless ways people have used social media to seek and offer support as Texans wade through this historic disaster.</p><p>Watching the videos “makes you smile and you kind of forget about what’s going on around you for a little bit,” says Mrs. Mills, who teaches first- and second-graders in Katy but lives about 45 miles away in Columbus, where she expects more water to flow as it drains back into the Gulf.</p><p>With a little persuading, Lisa Knott’s son, Cooper, sat down on his bed under a bright red-and-white baseball scoreboard and read “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” while she videoed. Mills taught him for two years and he’s now a fourth-grader at the same school, WoodCreek Elementary.</p><div class="in_story_embed embed-object embed-image ">							
<figure class="embed ezc-image "><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style="display: none;><![endif]--><source media="(max-width: 40em)" data-srcset="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_300x200 1x, //images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_600x400 2x"></source><source media="(max-width: 64em)" data-srcset="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_600x400 1x, //images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_900x600 2x"></source><source media="(min-width: 64em)" data-srcset="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_900x600 1x, //images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_900x600 2x"></source><!--[if IE 9]></video><![endif]--><img data-src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045865_4_0901-Harvey-Book-2_standard.jpg?alias=standard_600x400" data-sizes="auto" class=" lazyload" alt=""></picture></figure><div class="image-data">
	
			<div class="caption-bar text-wrapper ">
			<div class="eza-caption">Cooper Knott reads 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' for a video to post on the Hurricane Harvey Book Club, a Facebook group started by his former teacher at WoodCreek Elementary School in Katy, Texas.
</div>
		</div>
	
			<div class="source-data">
						<div class="image-credit">			<span class="eza-credit">Photo Courtesy of Lisa Knott</span>
</div>							<div class="divider">|</div>				<div class="caption-trigger">Caption</div>					</div>
		
</div>	</div><p>They were among the earliest members of the group and he was one of the first boys to post a video. “I told him, ‘You can be a leader in that way,’ ” Ms. Knott says. Sure enough, he soon saw some of his friends sharing stories there, too.</p><p>Cooper’s school had been in session for a little over a week before the storm, and Knott expects it to open again Sept. 5, unless there aren’t enough teachers able to get there. She imagines that soon they'll be welcoming children from elsewhere in the district whose schools were heavily damaged.</p><p>Their home has been safe, but the roads around it are blocked, Knott says, so “it’s been nerve-wracking … being stuck in the house for days on end, wondering and worrying and hoping things are OK. [The book club] was kind of a nice distraction for him.” </p><p>For her part, Mills has recruited “a village” of friends and fellow teachers to help her ensure the posts stay true to what’s intended. If anyone posts a picture of the floods it’s taken down, she says, because that’s all the kids see every time they turn on the news, or for some, look out a window.</p><p>But Mills and her fellow moderators haven’t had to do much policing. “I can absolutely say that this has been one of the most positive things I’ve ever experienced. I have not one time heard a single negative thing,” Mills says.</p><p>Now that the book club’s got so many members, it’s selling a T-shirt to raise money so teachers can replace flooded classroom libraries.</p><p>The shirt’s simple message: “Be Brave. Be Strong. Be Readers. Be the Light.”</p><p>“I just love and applaud Mrs. Mills for thinking outside the box completely,” Knott says. “She just cares so so much about the community and the students and the well being of all the kids.”</p>

	</div>
	
	<div class="story-foot small-11 medium-9 large-8 small-centered columns">
				
		
			</div>
</div>
</article>

	
<div id="story-bottom">
	<div class="row">
		
		<div class="content-bound small-centered small-11 medium-9 large-8 columns">
			
						
							<div id="related-stories" class="eza-related_external_links">
					<h2>Next Up</h2>
					<ul id="related-story-block-contents" class="eza-related_external_links">
						
	
					
					
			
						
		
		
									
				
									<li class="ezc-csm_movie_review">
						

								
<div class="story_list_item ezv-listing">
			<div class="story_thumbnail cinema_428x228">
			
					
													
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
		
		
									
		
					<a href="/The-Culture/Movies/2013/1204/Out-of-the-Furnace-tries-to-speak-to-our-times-but-falls-short" >			<img
				class=" lazyload"
				data-src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2013/12/ofurnace.jpg?alias=cinema_428x228"				alt=""
			/>
			</a>			
			</div>
		<div class="story_detail">
		<h3 class="story_headline ">
			

	
													
								
		
	
				
	
	
				
	

 

			<span class="kicker">Review</span>
	


				
	
																					

				
			
	<a href="/The-Culture/Movies/2013/1204/Out-of-the-Furnace-tries-to-speak-to-our-times-but-falls-short">
		<span class="story_link">
			'Out of the Furnace' tries to speak to our times but falls short
		</span>
	</a>		</h3>

					<div class="story-byline eza-authors">
				By
				<span class="author-name">Peter Rainer</span>
									<span class="staffline">Film critic</span>
							</div>
		
		

				
				
			</div>
	
	
			<div class="clear"></div>
	</div>
					</li>
															
				
									<li class="ezc-csm_article">
						

								
<div class="story_list_item ezv-listing">
			<div class="story_thumbnail cinema_428x228">
			
					
													
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
		
		
									
		
					<a href="/USA/Society/2017/0409/Appalachia-s-new-trail-finding-life-after-coal" >			<img
				class=" lazyload"
				data-src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/04/coal-mine.jpg?alias=cinema_428x228"				alt=""
			/>
			</a>			
			</div>
		<div class="story_detail">
		<h3 class="story_headline ">
			

	
													
								
		
	
				
	
	
				
	

 

	
						<a href="/csmlists/special/cover-story">				<span class="kicker story_kicker">Cover Story</span>
			</a>						







		
	<a href="/USA/Society/2017/0409/Appalachia-s-new-trail-finding-life-after-coal">
		<span class="story_link">
			Appalachia's new trail: finding life after coal
		</span>
	</a>		</h3>

					<div class="story-byline eza-authors">
				By
				<span class="author-name">Zack Colman</span>
									<span class="staffline">Staff Writer</span>
							</div>
		
		

				
				
			</div>
	
	
			<div class="clear"></div>
	</div>
					</li>
															
				
									<li class="ezc-csm_article">
						

								
<div class="story_list_item ezv-listing">
			<div class="story_thumbnail cinema_428x228">
			
					
													
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
		
		
									
		
					<a href="/USA/2017/0825/Texas-continues-evacuations-as-Hurricane-Harvey-strengthens" >			<img
				class=" lazyload"
				data-src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1045433_1_08-25-Harvey_standard.jpg?alias=cinema_428x228"				alt=""
			/>
			</a>			
			</div>
		<div class="story_detail">
		<h3 class="story_headline ">
			

	
													
								
		
	
				
	
	
				
	

 

	
						<a href="/csmlists/special/first-look">				<span class="kicker story_kicker">First Look</span>
			</a>						







		
	<a href="/USA/2017/0825/Texas-continues-evacuations-as-Hurricane-Harvey-strengthens">
		<span class="story_link">
			Texas continues evacuations as Hurricane Harvey strengthens
		</span>
	</a>		</h3>

					<div class="story-byline eza-authors">
				By
				<span class="author-name">Michael Graczyk </span>
									<span class="staffline">Associated Press</span>
							</div>
		
		

				
				
			</div>
	
	
			<div class="clear"></div>
	</div>
					</li>
														
						</ul>
				</div>
					</div>
	</div>

	
	</div>

<script>

$(function()
{
	$( '.gallery-modal' ).modalGallery();
});

</script>

<div id="sticky-messenger">
	<div data-sticky-container class="hide">
		<div class="sticky paywall" data-sticky data-btm-anchor="csm-page-bound:bottom" data-stick-to="bottom" data-sticky-on="small" data-margin-bottom="0" data-check-every="0" style="width:100%">

			<div class="title fullWidth row trigger">
				<div class="hide-visit-6">
					<div class="float-right close"><i class="icon-close"></i></div>
					<div class="meter-msg-2 text-center stickyMessenger-cta">
						<span class="story-count punch count"></span><span class="slanted"> of </span><span class="punch count">5</span>
						free <span class="hide-on-smallest">articles </span>this month
						<span class="separator">&#62;</span>
						<a class="register punch">Get unlimited free articles</a>
					</div>
				</div>
				<div class="show-visit-6">
					<div class="meter-msg-2 final small-12 columns text-center stickyMessenger-cta">
						You've read
						<span class="punch count">5</span><span class="slanted"> of </span><span class="punch count">5</span>
						<span class="one-unit">free articles</span>
					</div>
				</div>
			</div>
			
			<div class="fullWidth stash register body">
				<div class="row small-centered text-center columns">
					<h3>Sign up for a <span class="punch">one month free trial</span>.</h3>
					<p class="slanted">Get unlimited access to CSMonitor.com for one month.</p>
					<p>( <span class="punch red">No credit card required.</span> )</p>
					<input class="email-input" placeholder="Your email (e.g. john.doe@email.com)" type="email" />
					<a href="/User-Test-Free-Trial-Thank-you" class="button_link meter signup">Get free trial</a>
					<p class="alt-suggest">( Or, learn about our <a href="/About/Subscribe" class="slanted">Subscription options</a> )</p>
				</div>
			</div>

			<div class="fullWidth stash subscribe body">
				
				<div class="show-visit-6 row">
					<div class="large-12 columns text-center top">
						<h2><span>Subscribe</span> for continued <span class="slanted one-unit">full access</span>.</h2>
						<p>Like what you see? <a href="/About/Subscribe">Learn more</a> about the subscription options.</p>
					</div>
					<div class="medium-5 medium-push-7 columns text-center">
						<img src="https://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/08/1044481_2_ddp-3-screens_standard.png?alias=original" alt="Monitor Daily">
					</div>
					<div class="medium-7 medium-pull-5 columns">
						<ul>
							<li>Full ad-free access to CSMonitor.com</li>
							<li>Five handpicked articles delivered to your inbox each weekday evening</li>
							<li>Editor commentary on why each story matters</li>
							<li>Quick-read versions of each story</li>
							<li>Insightful graphics and videos exploring key issues</li>
							<li>Daily audio digest</li>
						</ul>
					</div>
					<div class="large-12 columns text-center">
						<a class="button_link meter" href="/About/Subscribe">Subscribe</a>
						<p class="slanted alt-suggest">( Still need more time to decide? <a href="/User-Test-Free-Trial-One-Month">Get a 1 month free trial</a>. )</p>
					</div>
				</div>
				
			</div>
			
		</div>
	</div>
</div>

<script>
	
	$(function()
	{
		if( parseInt( getParameterByName( 'test_meter' ) ) > 0 )
		{
			// reset counter
			var uniqueStories = JSON.parse( '{"modified":'+ Date.now() +',"ids":["1027787","1025415","1023972","1021620","1021591","1021497","1021493"]}' );
			uniqueStories.ids = uniqueStories.ids.slice( 0, parseInt( getParameterByName( 'test_meter' ) ) );

			CsmJsLibNamespace.store.setItem( 'csm_unique_stories', JSON.stringify( uniqueStories ) );
			CsmJsLibNamespace.store.setItem( 'csm_meter_test', 1 );

			$( '#sticky-messenger' ).meteredMessengerNew().show();
		}
		else if( getParameterByName( 'test_meter' ) == '0' )
		{
			// On DDP pages we don't have the plugin loaded which is good
			if( jQuery().meteredMessenger )
			{
				CsmJsLibNamespace.store.removeItem( 'csm_meter_test' );
				$( '#sticky-messenger' ).meteredMessenger().show();
			}
		}
		else
		{
			if( CsmJsLibNamespace.store.getItem( 'csm_meter_test' ) == '1' )
			{
				$( '#sticky-messenger' ).meteredMessengerNew().show();
			}
			else
			{
				// On DDP pages we don't have the plugin loaded which is good
				if( jQuery().meteredMessenger )
				{
					$( '#sticky-messenger' ).meteredMessenger().show();
				}
			}
		}

		function getParameterByName(name, url)
		{
			if (!url) url = window.location.href;
			name = name.replace(/[\[\]]/g, "\\$&");
			var regex = new RegExp("[?&]" + name + "(=([^&#]*)|&|#|$)"),
				results = regex.exec(url);
			if (!results) return null;
			if (!results[2]) return '';
			return decodeURIComponent(results[2].replace(/\+/g, " "));
		}
	});
	
</script>

		
<div id="csm-above-footer-1">
	
	
<div id="ezve-r16-above-footer-1" class="eznid-1045505">								<div id="ezve-r16-above-footer-1-block" class="ezc-csm_html_block ezn-ddp_responsiveArticle_subscribe_ad_A ">		<style scoped>
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .banner {
		background: #FFC700;
		position: relative;
		margin: 50px 0 35px;
		min-height: 40vw;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .subscribe-binocular-short {
		display: none;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a a {
		color: #0a0a0a;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a p {
		font-family: "Open Sans",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .button_link {
		background-color: #007582;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a h2 {
		text-transform: uppercase;
		font-weight: 800;
		font-size: 1.7rem;
		margin: 0 auto 0.6rem;
		width: 195px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.no-padding {
		padding-left: 0;
		padding-right: 0;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.binocular-container {
		position: absolute;
		bottom: 0;
		padding-right: 10px;
		padding-left: 12px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .subscribe-binocular {
		max-width: 113px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a section.column.no-padding:last-of-type {
		padding: 26px 0;
		padding-right: 8px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a section.column.no-padding:last-of-type,
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.subscribe-container {
		text-align: center;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.subscribe-container img {
		display: block;
		max-width: 160px;
		margin: 0 auto 11px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a p {
		font-style: italic;
		font-size: 1.2rem;
		font-weight: 600;
	}
	
@media only screen and (min-width:500px) {
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.binocular-container {
		position: absolute;
		bottom: 0;
		padding-right: 10px;
		padding-left: 25px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .subscribe-binocular {
		max-height: 285px;
		max-width: 100%;
	}
}

@media only screen and (min-width:640px) {
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .banner {
		min-height: 168px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.binocular-container {
		padding-left: 10px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .subscribe-binocular {
		display: none;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .subscribe-binocular-short {
		display: block;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a section.column.no-padding:last-of-type {
		padding: 42px 12px 22px 0;
		text-align: left;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a h2 {
		width: auto;
		font-size: 1.25rem;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.subscribe-container img {
		max-width: 135px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .button_link {
		font-size: 10.5px;
	}
}
@media only screen and (min-width:825px) {
	#home-subscribe-ad-a h2 {
		font-size: 1.55rem;
	}
}
@media only screen and (min-width:1070px) {
	#home-subscribe-ad-a h2 {
		font-size: 1.7rem;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .column.subscribe-container img {
		max-width: 160px;
	}
	#home-subscribe-ad-a .button_link {
		font-size: 14px;
	}
}
</style>

<div id="home-subscribe-ad-a" class="layout-11-10-8n7n6">
	<div class="wrapper">
		<a href="/r-blk-ddp-sub2">
			<div class="banner clearfix">
				<section class="small-4 medium-3 column binocular-container">
					<img src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/05/1037910_1_binoculars-short_standard.png?alias=original" alt="binoculars" class="subscribe-binocular-short"/>
					<img src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/05/1037256_2_binoculars_standard.png?alias=original" alt="binoculars" class="subscribe-binocular"/>
				</section>
				<section class="small-8 small-offset-4 medium-9 medium-offset-3 column no-padding">
					<div class="medium-8 column no-padding">
						<h2>Like what you see here?</h2>
						<p>Less noise. More insight.</p>
					</div>
					<div class="medium-4 column no-padding subscribe-container">
						<img src="//images.csmonitor.com/csm/2017/05/1037935_2_daily-flag_special_standard.png?alias=original" alt="The Christian Science Monitor Daily" />
						<div class="button_link">
							<span>SUBSCRIBE TODAY</span>
						</div>
					</div>
				</section>
			</div>
		</a>
	</div>
</div>
	</div>	</div>
</div>

<div id="csm-above-footer-2">
	
</div>
	
	
<div id="ezve-r16-above-footer-3" class="eznid-1009580">								<div id="ezve-r16-above-footer-3-block" class="ezc-csm_html_block ezn-R16_Footer_Ad_Slot ">		<div id="ad-footer" class="ad-wrapper" ></div>
	</div>	</div>
<footer>
	<div id="footer-logo" class="branding row columns">
		<a href="/">
			<img
				alt="csm masthead"
				sizes="(max-width: 39.99em) 160px, 214px"
				srcset="/extension/csm_responsive/design/csm_design/images/masthead-large.png 214w, /extension/csm_responsive/design/csm_design/images/masthead-small.png 160w"
				src="/extension/csm_responsive/design/csm_design/images/masthead-large.png">
		</a>
	</div>
	<a href="/About">
		<div id="monitor-difference-1" class="branding row columns">Stay Current. Go Far.</div>
		<div id="monitor-difference-2" class="branding row columns">Discover the Monitor Difference</div>
	</a>
	
	<div id="footer-menu" class="row">
		<div class="footer-menu medium-5 large-12 medium-offset-1 large-offset-0 columns">
			<ul id="footer-links-1">
				<li><a href="/About">About</a></li>
				<li><a href="/About/Contact">Contact Us</a></li>
				<li><a href='/r-footer'>Subscribe</a></li>
				<li><a href='/r-footer-nslr'>Free Newsletters</a></li>
				<li><a href="/About/Advertise">Advertise With Us</a></li>
				<li><a href="/About/Careers">Careers</a></li>
				<li><a href="/About/Find-us-online">Find us online</a></li>
			</ul>
		</div>
		<div class="footer-menu medium-5 large-12 end columns">
			<ul id="footer-links-2">
				<li><a href="/csm/contentmap">Content Map</a></li>
				<li><a href="/layout/set/text/textedition">Text Edition</a></li>
				<li><a href="/About/Corrections">Corrections</a></li>
				<li><a href='http://www.csmonitorreprints.com/'>Reprints &amp; Permissions</a></li>
				<li><a href="/Multimedia">Multimedia</a></li>
				<li><a href="/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective">A Christian Science Perspective</a></li>
			</ul>
		</div>
	</div>
	
	<div id="small-prints" class="row small-11 small-centered columns"><a href="/About">&#169; The Christian Science Monitor.</a><a href="/About/Terms">All Rights Reserved. Terms.</a><a href="/About/Privacy-Policy">Privacy Policy.</a></div>

</footer>
	</div>
	
	<div id="page-bottom-scripts">

	<script>
	
		window.lazySizesConfig = window.lazySizesConfig || {};
		window.lazySizesConfig.loadMode = 1;
	
	</script>

	<script type="text/javascript" src="/var/ezflow_site/cache/public/javascript/76efe6903685eb962dc2b36a4aa51801_1513162353.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	

	<script>
	
	$(function()
	{
		$('body').responsivebody();
		$('body').header();
		$('body').userauth();
		$(document).foundation();
	});
	
	</script>

			<script type="text/javascript">_satellite.pageBottom();</script>
	</div>

	<div id="backdrop-shadow"></div>
	
</body>
</html>
