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Freebird's April 2023 book drive: Health and Wellness

3/31/2023

April's book bundle for incarcerated readers focuses on how to stay healthy
$30 purchases five books (40% off retail; each bundle will include two of the Weight-Free Workout)

April 2023's pick spotlights mind and body health, essential resources for incarcerated readers: $30 for five books*Following our March campaign (collecting 270 books!) that focused on the natural world and creatures great, small, and sometimes scary, we go back to a perennial concern for those behind bars: staying healthy. Since 2020, we have featured the Men's Health Best: Weight-Free Workout four different times, amassing nearly 500 copies. And each time Books Through Bars has quickly exhausted that supply. On this occasion each bundle you purchase will go towards two copies of the workout book, hopefully keeping up with demand from incarcerated readers. A book we haven't done before, but that provides essential information for any life threatening situation, is The Little Book of Medical Emergencies. And rounding these out will be two titles from The Train Your Brain series of games and puzzles from Peter de Schepper and Frank Coussement: Mental Agility and Mind Games.

*Each purchased bundle will be delivered directly to Books Through Bars so that they can fulfill requests from incarcerated readers. If you wish to purchase one of these titles for yourself, you can go to https://bookshop.org/shop/FreebirdBooks.

Train Your Brain/Weight Free Workout/Big Medical Emergencies

$49.00 $30.00

Freebird's April 2023 focuses on four titles-- $30 helps purchase for incarcerated readers 2 copies of Men's Health Best: Weight Free Workout, 1 copy of Little Book of Big Medical Emergencies, 1 copy of Train Your Brain: Mind Games, and 1 copy of Train Your Brain: Mental Agility.

Please note that when Square processes your order they describe it as a "digital delivery". That does not refer to way the books will be delivered to incarcerated readers. Your purchase will go towards NYC Books Through Bars fulfilling requests with physical copies of the aforementioned titles.

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January's pick for NYC Books Through Bars--Manga!

1/1/2023

Following our annual end-of-year campaign (collecting 423 books!) for the latest World Almanac--we keep the bundle to a single theme and focus this month on manga, an oft requested genre that Books Through Bars does not normally have enough to spare. Since much contemporary adult manga can fall afoul of prison censors (particularly for overtly sexual content), we have chosen two series safe for all ages: Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto and Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer.

Manga books bundle

$50.00 $30.00

Freebird's January 2023 focuses on manga books-- $30 helps purchase for incarcerated readers 5 manga titles from the from the Naruto and Demon Slayer series

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Freebird's December 2022 campaign: Almanacs!

11/30/2022

After concluding a successful dictionary campaign (over 1,000 copies collected!), we look ahead to 2023 with the release of the latest World Almanac. Books Through Bars is always in short supply of this high demand reference work. Please help them restock for the coming months.
$30 purchases 3 almanacs (45% off retail)

Following November's campaign (collecting 1,080 books!) that helped replenish the stock of English dictionaries--particularly the most up-to-date editions--so in demand from incarcerated readers, we stick to the theme of reference. Each December the World Almanac puts out its latest version, a compendium of facts and statistics on politics, global affairs, culture, sports, science, and technology of the past year. For readers starved of news outside their walls, an almanac provides necessary context of the contemporary scene. Typically Books Through Bars exhausts their supply of World Almanacs within the first two months of the year. We hope this campaign, which triples the usual number we can provide in return for $30, will help plug that hole.

Freebird's November 2022 Book Drive: Dictionaries!

10/31/2022

In order to replenish Books Through Bars with a sufficient quantity of dictionaries (they typically send out over 1,000 annually), we are featuring the latest edition of The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
$50 purchases 10 dictionaries (45% off retail)

Following October's campaign (collecting 480 books!) that spotlighted the arbitrary nature of censorship in our prisons and schools, we do something out of the ordinary in our monthly book drive. Rather than mix and match with titles and categories, we want to bring awareness to a singular work: the humble English dictionary. The most requested item from incarcerated readers, Books Through Bars can never quite keep enough on the shelves. Especially editions that are current, comprehensive, and reflect language and usage today. The intrinsic value of a dictionary can't be stressed enough. For those incarcerated, it is a window into the outside world and a way to navigate a criminal justice system that purposefully obfuscates through legalese. Language is power. Though we have included other paperback dictionaries in the past, they were woefully dated. Usage changes, new terminology is coined. With the 2022 Merriam-Webster Dictionary (75,000 definitions, 8,000 usage examples, 100 new words), Books Through Bars NYC finally can send copies that are consistent in quality.

Because we are going for quantity on this occasion (in addition to that quality), we are charging $50 this month. We will return to the $30 for three books the following month, so thank you for your ongoing generosity!

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

$90.00 $50.00

Freebird's November 2022 focuses on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary-- $50 helps purchase 10 copies for incarcerated readers

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Brooklyn Book Festival--outdoor market is cancelled today

10/1/2022

Unfortunately because of the blustery weather overnight, the tents on Cadman Plaza/Borough Hall were damaged. Apologies to anyone who came out today! Though the indoor portion of the festival is still going on. Come visit us at the store, but we will have to see you next year at the festival.

October's book bundle: Banned Books

9/30/2022

Make a statement about banned books by purchasing for incarcerated readers these titles increasingly targeted by state school systems; each donation will also include an art instructional guide.
Four works for $30 (40% off retail)

Following September's campaign (collecting 175 books!) that was a combo of escapist thrillers, no-nonsense business advice, and extraterrestrial speculation, we put another spotlight on censorship in America. Prison authorities at the state and federal level block incarcerated readers from getting access to an extensive list of books. Texas alone bars upwards of 10,000 titles from their facilities. Obviously NYC Books Through Bars cannot get around those restrictions, but we can make a statement by sharing with those readers other works of literature deemed too inflammatory for legislators and educational gatekeepers. PEN America estimates that nearly 1,600 individual titles face removal from 2,900 school libraries. Yaa Gyasi's novel, Homegoing, is one of them, banned in Georgia, Missouri, Florida, and Texas, for its unvarnished look at slavery's legacy in America. Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir, Persepolis, is another, banned by Pennsylvania and Texas schools for its depiction of the violence associated with political and societal repression. And perhaps the most peculiar act of censorship is the choice by the Edmond School District in Oklahoma to remove the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass from their curriculum. By purchasing these three titles, we will also include one of Search Press's drawing guides--art instruction is amongst the most requested subjects and NYC Books Through Bars is in short supply at the moment.

Homegoing, Frederick Douglass, Persepolis, and a drawing book

$50.00 $30.00

Freebird's October 2022 picks include Homegoing, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Persepolis, and a selection from Search Press's instructional series, How to Draw in Simple Steps-- $30 for four books

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August 2022 book bundle--Mind & Body

7/31/2022

We finish the summer with a selection of titles to hone the body and mind: thought-provoking history, games to exercise the brain, and workouts without weights
Four works for $30 (39% off retail)

Following July's campaign (collecting 400 books!) that was a grab bag of popular history, award wining literary fiction, and groundbreaking science journalism, we end the summer with a mind and body bundle. In his Pulitzer prize-winning expose of slavery's enduring legacy after the Emancipation Proclamation, Slavery By Another Name, Douglas Blackmon challenges the reader to think what freedom really means in a society built upon forced labor. And in keeping up with constant requests for books that encourage mental and physical health, we round out the bundle with low tech exercises to build muscle mass and stretch the brain's capacity: Men's Health Best Weight-Free Workout (a book we have selected before that remains amongst the most in demand with incarcerated readers), The Penguin Sudoku Challenge (with games that increase in difficulty, one for every day of the year), and a selection from Dr. Gareth Moore's brain games series, Brain Coach Intense, 10-Minute Brain Games: Brain Teasers, or 10-Minute Brain Games: Words & Language.

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July 2022 book bundle--Underground Railroad and Women of Great Importance

6/30/2022

July 2022's pick:
The Underground Railroad, A Woman of No Importance, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks -- $30 for three booksFollowing June's campaign (collecting over 575 books!) that celebrated Pride Month and LGTBQ perspectives upon the 2 year anniversary of our bundle program, we do a summer bag of popular history, award wining literary fiction, and groundbreaking science journalism. Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad chronicles a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot brings into focus a forgotten Black woman whose cells were mined and exploited by the scientific community without any financial gain for her family. And in the current bestseller A Woman of No Importance, Sonia Purnell shares the remarkable story of a woman spy who was a linchpin of the Resistance during World War II.

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June 2022 book drive--Our 2nd Anniversary!

5/31/2022

Upon the two year anniversary of our monthly drive (which has helped bring in over 15,000 books), we celebrate Pride Month with a vibrant selection of LGBTQ literature.
Three works for $30 (37% off retail)

Sister Outsider, The Prophets, and Last Night at the Telegraph Club -- $30 for three booksFollowing May's campaign (collecting over 380 books!) that spoke to the constant demand for comics (superhero and otherwise) at our nation's prisons, we focus on Pride Month and LGTBQ perspectives. A giant of literature, Audre Lorde described herself as "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet." In Sister Outsider, Lorde's essential essays and speeches are spotlighted: timeless explorations of sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class, not to mention the value of action and change. One of the most notable works of fiction from last year, Robert Jones Jr.'s The Prophets is a rare novel of gay life in the enslaved South. A finalist for the National Book Award, the New York Times singled it out as "a lyrical and rebellious love story." And hailed as an instant classic on its release--it did win the National Book Award--is Malinda Lo's breakout work Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which looks at a teenage lesbian relationship in San Francisco during the 1950s peak of Red Scare paranoia and discrimination towards Asian Americans.

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May 2022 book drive--COMICS! COMICS! COMICS!

5/1/2022

A selection of comic book collections (and one novelization of a beloved Marvel superhero) to satisfy the largest genre requests from incarcerated readers
Three works for $30 (38% off retail)

Over 15,000 books purchased on behalf of NYC Books Through Bars

May 2022's pick:
Harley Quinn, Batman, and Black Panther -- $30 for three books
Following April's campaign (collecting over 375 books!) that combined serious and topical nonfiction with diversionary and meditative activity books, we do our first all comic book (and superhero) bundle, a sampling of DC and Marvel properties. While Books Through Bars regularly sends individual comic books and manga to readers (AND PLEASE KEEP BRINGING IN YOUR PERSONAL COLLECTIONS), they are often out of sequence. Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn and Batman Arkham: Penguin bring together series for a more cohesive reading experience. And though it's not in graphic form, we round these out with Who Is the Black Panther? by Jesse Holland, a novelization of the hugely popular Marvel character.

Harley Quinn, Batman, and Black Panther comics and novel

$48.00 $30.00

Freebird's May 2022 picks include the comic book collections Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn and the novel Batman Arkham: Penguin

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Info:
123 Columbia Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-643-8484
info@freebirdbooks.com

Train Your Brain/Weight Free Workout/Big Medical Emergencies

Manga books bundle

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Homegoing, Frederick Douglass, Persepolis, and a drawing book

We finish the summer with a selection of titles to hone the body and mind: thought-provoking history, games to exercise the brain, and workouts without weights Four works for $30 (39% off retail)

Harley Quinn, Batman, and Black Panther comics and novel

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We finish the summer with a selection of titles to hone the body and mind: thought-provoking history, games to exercise the brain, and workouts without weights
Four works for $30 (39% off retail)