Shelf Awareness
Author Mitch Albom has established the Donated Reading for Youth of the Philippines (DRY) relief fund to reconstruct 10 school libraries destroyed by typhoon Yolanda last November and has pledged to help raise $160,000 needed for construction. Partnering with the National Book Store Foundation, he will coordinate the DRY Libraries program through his A Hole in the Roof Foundation and is helping to launch the initiative with a $10,000 donation and hundreds of copies of his books. The NBS Foundation has promised to match funds raised by Albom on a dollar for dollar basis until the goal is met. 
"I am blessed to have many Filipino readers, including many students, and I wanted to do something to help," he said. "Since I've been here, I've been emailing writers I know back home--and some I don't know--to ask if they would help, seeing as many of them are popular here, particularly with high school students."Authors who have already pledged at least 10 personalized books (one for each library) include Jeff Kinney, Suzanne Collins, Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, Amy Tan, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling, John Green, Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), Khaled Hosseini, Scott Turrow, James Patterson, Sophie Kinsella, Michael Chabon, Maggie Stiefvater, Dave Barry, James McBride, Harlan Coben and Billy Collins.
"They were all quick to say yes. I think we as authors always appreciate the effort people make to read and cherish their books," Albom said. "That is so true of readers here in the Philippines, I've seen my own books pulled from the flood damaged homes, moldy, discolored, yet brought to me to sign. It's incredible and heartwarming."
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