If you’ve seen a friend or family member posting a status “calling all bookworms,” then you should be ready to message them and join the book exchange trend that is making waves around social media over the last six years.
“Calling all bookworms – we need at least 6 people to participate in a book exchange! You can be anywhere in the world. The farther we get the better! All you have to do is buy/select your favorite book and send it to one person. You will receive approximately 36 books in return. If you are interested, comment below and I’ll message you all the details! Happy reading!! 🙂 #savetheculture“
The book exchange starts when someone shares the status above and receives a friendly message asking what it’s all about. In response to the inquiry, one then shares the address of the person that they asked about the status previously. He/she will also share his/her address to be forwarded to those who eventually message the inquirer about his/her’s future book exchange status once it is copied and pasted.
As more and more people get involved, the book exchange continues to grow in an effort to save book culture. The status typically comes with the tag #savetheculture. This tag represents a love for all things old-fashioned and outdated. The modern tag simply represents a vintage lifestyle that has managed to slip between our society’s fingers. The book exchange and handwritten mail cultures need to be revived in order to allow real love, hope and passion to grow and spread among the world.
The book exchange phenomenon happens in real life everyday. For instance, at the Sugar Mill Botanical Garden entrance in Daytona Beach, FL, one might find a little book box. This open box allows for strangers to leave a book and take a book at their leisure. Book Exchanges are thought to have originated from the concept of libraries where people can borrow books for free as long as they return them within a certain amount of time. With the modern-day book exchanges, the idea is to give a book, receive a book, and continue the chain after you read again.
The key to the book exchange is to get your friends involved. As more people are involved in the exchange, more will receive books; hence, the status’ claim for “approximately 36 books in return” for just 6 people involved.
Even though my own status included the claim to 36 books, I’ve only received one anonymous book in my mailbox, and that’s perfectly okay! Receiving A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall absolutely restored so much of my own hope for the book and mail cultures as by the time it had arrived I nearly forgot about the book exchange status I had shared. I may have forgotten for a few weeks to send my own book, but I assure you all that it has made it safely to its happy new owner.
Books can be mailed at a rate which can be much cheaper than sending packages around the world. This media mail rate is what also allowed the book exchange phenomenon to continue on for so long. This cheaper rate is great for getting people together around the world and connecting friends outside of the internet. Keep an eye out for your friends’ social media status’ and try to #savetheculture.
Featured image via Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
