NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The Bronx is home to 1.4 million people – a population bigger than most American cities – but only houses two full-time bookstores. This makes it a book desert.
Book deserts are areas where families struggle to find age-appropriate reading material. This problem isn’t unique to the Bronx. According to the American Federation of Teachers, 45% of U.S. children live in areas without nearby libraries or bookstores, or they live in homes where books are unaffordable. Book deserts are often found in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
Despite the challenges, Bronxites are working to close the literacy gap in their borough.
Saraciea Fennell, who was raised in the Bronx, grew up reading and ended up working in book publicity. In her work, she noticed authors rarely ever came to the Bronx for literacy events. Saraciea decided to change that by starting The Bronx Is Reading Festival. We talked to her on this week’s In Depth podcast to hear how the annual event encourages reading in her community.
About 50% of third through eighth graders across New York City passed last year’s English Language Arts test. But when you zero in on the Bronx, just 33% of that cohort passed.
Gregory Hernandez, a Bronx native and filmmaker, wrote and produced a documentary about the Bronx’s literacy crisis called “1.5 Million.” The documentary explores what led to the borough’s low literacy levels. He joins In Depth to discuss how community members are working to boost literacy.
Part of the issue is that promoting reading can be expensive. Physical copies of books are more enticing to young readers, according to professor Susan Neuman, an early literacy expert at New York University. But hardcover books can cost anywhere from $13 to $28, usually leaning towards the higher end. Neuman shares with In Depth how better funding could bolster literacy rates.
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