The Traveling Library: Books on the T
By Jessica A. Kent
August 2, 2019
We all know Charlie on the MTA, the hapless commuter who, short a nickel, is fated to ride beneath the streets of Boston, never to return. It’s the basis of a 1962 campaign song that turned quintessential Boston pop culture. But mornings today are frequently fraught with the same Charlie-esque misadventure: We’re often stuck underground for long periods of time.
If only we had some good books to read.
This is where Books on the T comes in. They’re a local volunteer literary organization intent on “sharing new titles for adults and youth on the MBTA, creat[ing] a traveling library that introduces books to the Greater Boston community.” With their legion of Book Fairies, Books on the T will do book drops around various T stations and train cars. They’ll take a quick picture for social media – a lure for curious book-hunters – and slip away. If you find a book, it’s yours.
I met up with one of the founders, Araceli Hintermeister, on a summer afternoon in Downtown Crossing, to learn more about the organization and to go on a book drop ourselves.
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