Sentinels of Freedom

    A model of a British phone booth stood near a sidewalk. Union Jacks were festooned along its base. I happened upon it this week in Massachusetts.
    Inside the structure were books. Free books. A sign read, ‘Take a Book. Return a book.’
   This structure is called a Little Free Library. It has no affiliation with a municipal library. A private citizen oversees this little library. Anybody is welcome to take a book.
    These little libraries are showing up in neighborhoods around the nation. They’re also taking root elsewhere in the world. Each little library has a different appearance.
    The benefits go beyond access to literature. These libraries promote social intercourse. People chit-chat while taking out books.
    Government has no control over these libraries. Nor can the government easily know what’s being read. The books are hard copy. They’re off the electronic grid. Online surveillance is impossible.
    Little Free Libraries are sentinels of freedom.