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    Immanuel Penda

    1 week, 3 days ago

    For over 25 years, Jose Alberto Gutierrez worked as a garbage truck driver in Colombia’s capital. During the cold early morning hours, he managed to collect thousands of books, transforming his home into a free public library.

    In 1997, the 35-year-old “bookworm” noticed that people were throwing away books in large quantities. He says, “I realized people were discarding books, so I started collecting them.”

    The first books he found were by the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), which were stored in a closet with dozens of other books. He then began collecting various books, including novels, stories, poetry, and textbooks, storing them in his home in the Moya Gloria district of southern Bogota.

    As the years passed, his home became filled with books, including “The Little Prince”, “The Sorcerer’s World”, and works by the late Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Over time, neighbors began borrowing books, as “neighbors lacked books”.

    In 2000, Jose, his wife, and three children converted the first floor of their 90-square-meter home into a public library, naming it “The Power of Words”. The initiative was a huge success, attracting volunteers, including foreigners.

    Jose says, “Maybe this is the world’s first library that offers books for free to visitors.” The popularity of the “Library of Power of Words” has spread across the continent, with Jose receiving invitations to participate in major events like the Santiago Book Festival in Chile or the Monterrey Festival in Mexico.

    Due to increased donations, books are no longer sourced solely from garbage. Jose and his family distribute books to disadvantaged and remote areas, responding to requests from public school teachers, and have reached 235 locations across Colombia.

    He says his love for books came from his mother, who read to her children every evening: “She gave me light.” Today’s message is to love books, as they always illuminate the path.

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