Sofia Akel, a cultural historian and author from East London who is 28 years old, has devoted her life to giving away free books. She established the Free Books Campaign, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing books by authors of colour to those who cannot afford them, in 2020 and has since donated 6,000 books across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The campaign works on trust – anyone can ask for a book they would like to read and if the company has enough money, it will buy the book and send it over. Reading shouldn’t be a privilege, according to Sofia, who is passionate about making it available to everyone.
According to recent data, it may be more difficult to obtain books from libraries. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) discovered that between 2021 and 2022, library book stocks in England, Wales, and Scotland decreased by 11%. Sofia also launched the Free Books festival in Peckham, south-east London, with Broccoli Productions, a media production company, to spread awareness about the initiative. Over the course of a weekend, they distributed approximately 3,000 books.
Estelle George-Fontaine, a 22-year-old biochemistry graduate, attended the festival with her friends and emphasised the significance of such events. She noted that she would not have been able to purchase books herself due to the cost of living crisis. Estelle excitedly took home two books: ‘XX’ by Angela Chadwick and ‘Good Intentions’ by Kasim Ali, who was present at the event and signed her book.
Despite the success of the campaign, Sofia notes that some individuals have attempted to abuse it by taking more than their allotted amount, but she asserts that the positives outweigh the negatives.
Sofia Akel has set an inspiring example for us all with her Free Books Campaign; proving that reading should not be a privilege but an opportunity for everyone to access and enjoy.
