Megaselling author James Patterson has pledged at least $1 million to aid struggling independent bookstores.
Megaselling author James Patterson has pledged at least $1 million to aid struggling independent bookstores.
Patterson, who has sold more than 280 million books, is concerned that small shops are vanishing.
He’s also worried about the level of literacy among this generation of schoolchildren. He points to the impact of dubious role models such as singer Justin Bieber, who said last year he’s “really not into stuff” like reading and writing.
“Give me a break, Justin,” Patterson told the Salon website. “Wake the hell up. For most kids, who aren’t as lucky as you are, if they can’t read, it’s going to be a big problem.”