TODAY'S TURN: Stop and look before you read

THE ISSUE:
Who has time to read anymore? 237 channels and endless web gems of insight (like this) fight with the published word and usually win. Anymore, a book in the hand is as rare as an poignant episode of Joanie Loves Chaci.

But what if we lost the ability to read simply from neglect? Seriously. What if the literate parts of our brains just unwrinkled and shriveled up like Carrot Top's career? Not a pleasant thought. For one, readership of this blog would go down a LOT. But illiteracy is reality for 1 billion people in the world, including 40% of Africa.

Big box bookstores and Amazon do their part for literacy by... well, by being there. But could there be an even BETTER, more direct way of battling illiteracy - both our own and the world's?

THE GOOD TURN:
A good book is a great thing. A book that DOES good is even better. Better World Books collects books - new and used - sells them online and uses the funds to fight illiteracy around the world.

Two questions: "how expensive are they" and "how much of a selection do they have"?

To compare, I did a trial search of about 15 books. I found 13 on Better World Books and all 15 on Amazon. Not bad. Better World has "1.8 million books and 500,000 new titles," so they have more than you could read, but probably not everything you might want.

The prices at Better World Books were less than list price, but most were higher than Amazon. But then I saw that Better World ships for free anywhere in the US. Taking that into account, Amazon's advantage was just $0.20-$1.50 per book. Not much. Just order at least 3-4 books and pricing scales tip in favor of Better World.

So I'd say price and selection somewhat favor Amazon (and most likely the big box bookstores). The difference is that Better World profits go to literacy programs like Room to Read, Books for Africa, Worldfund, and National Center for Family Literacy. To me, worth it.

So next time you buy a book (and hopefully it's soon), you might want to read up on Better World Books first.

Click here to do this Good Turn.