Woo Hoo-We've Been Chosen 2013 World Book Night

ChiIL Mama will be giving away 20 free copies of  The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in person in Avondale/ Logan Square to light or non-readers who don't own or have access to a lot of books, for World Book Night 2013. Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers for ever. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is such a book. With over 65 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 71 languages, The Alchemist has already achieved the status of a modern classic. This is the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the exotic markets of Tangiers and then into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him. The Alchemist is a story about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts and, above all, following our dreams. Author biography  Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and has become one of the most widely read and loved authors in the world. Especially renowned for The Alchemist and most recently his worldwide bestseller Aleph, he has sold more than 140 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 71 languages. The recipient of numerous prestigious international awards, including the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and France’s Legion d’Honneur, Paulo Coelho was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. Paulo is a force in social media. His Facebook followers number 6.5 million. Also by this author: The Pilgrimage, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, Veronika Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym, Manual of the Warrior of Light, Eleven Minutes, The Zahir, Like the Flowing River, The Witch of Portobello, Brida, The Winner Stands Alone, Aleph. For more information: Visit the author’s site Visit the publisher’s site Visit Reading Group Guides Visit Goodreads What we do World Book Night U.S. is a celebration of books and reading held on April 23, when 25,000 passionate volunteers across America give a total of half a million books within their communities to those who don’t regularly read. In 2012, World Book Night was celebrated in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, and Germany and saw over 80,000 people gift more than 2.5 million books. How it works Why it’s important History How it works Each year, 30 books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed World Book Night U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers.  After the book titles are announced, members of the public apply to personally hand out 20 copies of a particular title in their community. World Book Night U.S. vets the applications, and the givers are chosen based on their ability to reach light and non-readers. The selected givers choose a local participating bookstore or library from which to pick up the 20 copies of their book, and World Book Night U.S. delivers the books to these host locations. Givers pick up their books in the week before World Book Night.  On April 23rd, they give their books to those who don’t regularly read and/or people who don’t normally have access to printed books, for reasons of means or access.