Call of the wild

A community of book lovers calls for the leaving of books in public places

When Phuong sprinted to Co-op mart for some grocery shopping early that Friday morning, a book was the last thing she expected to come back home with.

Phuong threaded her way through a pool of yawning mouths and sleepy eyes that, like her, had just been torn away from their 7am sleeps. They flocked among floor-to-ceiling shelves standing tall and inviting with rows of flashy-colored packages. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary; neither did the cart Phuong was trailing by her side. Or at least that was what she thought as she grabbed any necessary items that came into sight and tossed them into it without a second look, occupied by the urge to make it back home on time for her daughter’s breakfast before school.

That would have been the end of her morning routine until the uninvited came in the form of a little black book lying humbly at the corner of the metal case, which only came to her notice once the last dented box of cereal was unpacked.

“I’m not lost. I’m totally free on my travel around the world. Take me with you and continue my adventure.”

Phuong’s eyes opened wide when she read these on the wrinkled piece of paper taped on its first page. “In praise of slowness”, the white title strewn across the black cover read ironically. A shake of the head from the cashier confirmed to Phuong what she was then a part of: the book-crossing chain.

“I think of them hidden in a quiet corner of the room as if waiting to be asked to dance” - Laura Barton

If you happen to find a copy of this book in your supermarket cart, there is no need to be so surprised. Chances are that its previous owner is a member of the decade-long movement that has finally made its mark in Vietnam. The practice of leaving books in public places, also called the “book-crossing” culture, has its origin in Idaho, when an online community under the same name established a campaign that encourages people to release their loved books into the wild for any stranger to pick it up, enjoy it and continue passing it on. “I like to think of them out there, thousands of them now, turned loose in the autumn air. I think of them sitting on a station platform, a cafe table, tucked snugly beside a bus seat. I think of them hidden in a quiet corner of the room as if waiting to be asked to dance”, shared Laura Barton who was preparing to pass on her books. Thanks to book-crossers like Laura, books are now no longer a luxury stored upon the highest shelves, but as familiar as pets taking a walk here and there along the city streets. But books are not wandering about without an aim. They are set out on an expedition on the human world, to disinter their long-overlooked facets. In the 21st century, books come up against a behemoth of communication: digital technology. This new player in the game brought about an era in which it takes no more than 1 minute to save a new book to your virtual library without charge. In which one portable device can hold the entire Pilkington Library in your pocket. And in which a book can be easily put down at the constant notification sound of the reader’s digital devices. “The death of the book”, “Digital books killing off paperback”, “Kindle: the final nail in the printed book’s coffin?”- headlines of prophecy continue to fill the front pages. The book-crossing movement, too, was believed to die out along with the predicted obsolescence of paper books. Meanwhile, in reality, paper book prospers. The sales of traditional books continue to increase as those of digital books decline; for instance, in the U.S., the e-book sales were down 7.5 percent in 2015 whereas the paperback sales surged by 8.6 percent. Put yourself in a reader’s shoes and you will know why. Reading a virtual book by the touch of the finger on a cold white screen is in no comparison to holding its tangible form in your hands. One can sense every feature of its physical presence: the fresh smell of paper, the softness they feel as they turn the pages, the breeze in their fingers when they run them across the leather cover, and the aesthetic pleasure that the cover artwork gives. Unlike a plain soul-less piece of metal, paper book feels lively. Paper books remain enduring because of their emotional attachment with readers. In them lies the memories of books tucked under the pillow, burning the midnight oil and ending up falling asleep on the pages, passing books that one holds dear to heart to a friend. Physical book collection recounts one’s journey of laughters, tears, dreams, and maturity. All of those could not be found in some folders on an e-book reading application. Thus, despite the increasing availability of high technology devices and the fast pace of life that anyone can be subject to nowadays, it is clear that people still don’t let go of spiritual values in exchange for convenience. That explains why the book-crossing movement has become well-received worldwide. According to the official BookCrossing website, 1,600,203 people have embraced what they found and enjoyed their time with it. By that, the movement has persisted for over a decade. But is it just the love for books that keeps the chain going? “I am not interested in extracurricular reading. I don’t have much time for it either.” shrugged Duong, the first person to pick up Guillaume Musso’s “The girl on the paper” left on Le Van Tam park bench. “Well, it’s free, so why not?” the school-uniformed boy flipped the book with two fingers into his backpack when asked why he took it. “You never know if you might need it in the future. Not necessarily for reading, though.” A book-crosser would have frowned upon this response and snatched the book from the kid’s careless hands. Surely, no book enthusiast likes to have their valuables end up with the opportunists and possibly book mistreaters. The thought of books resting underneath the hot pot, or their pages being torn away for food wrapping or airplane folding is by no means pleasant. Whether they like it or not, the trend is maintained by, either coincidentally or deliberately, hitting that soft spot of our society: the love for free things. There is a long-lived motto in Vietnam that goes along the line “It’s foolish not to take something that’s given away for free”. People are attracted to and don’t hesitate to take things labeled “free”, no matter what it is, no matter if they need it or not, because it doesn’t hurt to own more. Psychology professor Dan Ariely may want to add to that. Ariely conducted a social experiment wherein people were offered two options of a Lindt Truffle – a deluxe chocolate brand – for 15 cents, and a Hershey’s Kiss – a low-end product – for 1 cent, and he was not surprised when three-fourth of them chose the truffle after they put the price and quality of each into comparison. He was taken aback, however, when he changed the price of the Lindt to 14 cents and the Kiss to 0: three fourth of them then opted for the free chocolate, although the price difference between the two remained the same. Ariely drew the conclusion: people also love free things because of their inner fear of losing something, which in this case is money. Likewise, people open their arms to a stray book found on a park bench, in contrary to the hesitancy and consideration on the worth factors and if the money is well spent when they stand in front of the same book in the store. They accept the book once they are freed from such concerns. But taking the book is only half the movement – the easier half. Books have to be given away as well. The thing is, people might be fast at taking, but when it comes to sharing, not all of them are willing to. With the inner fear of losing things, they can get reluctant to give unless there is something given in return. The case is likely to get even harder for book-crossing. It is not easy to let go of one’s valuable things, especially those people have attachments with, either emotionally or materialistically; and book is one of them. With someone, books are their friends, their knowledge or precious items on their bookshelves that they do not want to share or give away, even though they have already read them and do not need them anymore. Book-crossing, however, shows that people have been giving voluntarily, with more than 11,000,000 books released into the wild, and traveling throughout 132 countries. “Even though I love my books, I would rather let them continue their journeys rather than let them sit idly on the bookshelves. Besides, some books have changed my thinking and even my attitude for the better. I want to share them, so others can benefit from them as well,” said Minh, a fresh member of the movement. And Minh is just 1 out of millions of people around the world who are putting trust in complete strangers and still  giving their precious to society. Because people prefer to share their values and what define them. They share the books they love, so others can read and appreciate. To them, a book put away after they finish reading will turn into a thick pile of papers with empty words that will soon be forgotten. Its value comes back only until it is passed on to other people, and continues its journey of using words to influence the lives of those who happen to hold it along the way. And what do these book-crossers get in return? They do not care. The thought that they have shared something that would inspire other people is a gift itself. “Happiness does not result from what we get, but from what we give”, Ben Carson once said. Happiness is doubled every time a book is passed from one hand to another, and by that, the chain goes on. That was how “In praise of slowness” ended up again in the cart. The little black book continued its journey of resting in the corner of the metal case, while the crowd filling Co-opmart continued their daily routine, oblivious to its presence as they strolled by. The wind blew and turned the lone book to its first page. Inside laid a sticky note that read: “Hi, stranger! I am Phuong, the previous owner of this book. I found it in my supermarket cart and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be the best decision, for this book has helped me stop to realise many spiritual values in this modern, fast-paced life. I hope it will inspire you the same way it did for me, and that you will continue its adventure the same way I did for it. Enjoy!”

Le Thanh Nhien and Ha Hai Lam (2016)