Wholesome Wins·
THE BOOK BOX RISES
In Allendale, Melissa's little Edmonton Book Fairy Library endures repeated vandalism as it goes viral online, yet she keeps rebuilding and giving back.
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The door was ripped off the hinges for a third time, and the little book box in Edmonton was suddenly everywhere.
Melissa opened The Edmonton Book Fairy Library in Allendale on August 22nd, 2024. It was, by her description, simple and home-built: "It's a book box I built myself." On her sign, she pointed people toward more updates: "For updates, find me on Instagram!"
What started as a neighborhood share spot turned into a running tally of generosity. Over the last year and a half, Melissa says she has shared more than 1,000 books with the community. But alongside the books came a steady pattern of damage. The little library was vandalized again and again: books were destroyed or literally burned, the shelves were broken, pieces went missing, signs were stolen, and at one point it was singed with cigarettes.
Then came the latest hit. "the door has been ripped off the hinges for a third time."
By today, the damage had pushed the library into viral territory online. Melissa addressed the attention directly, saying, "My LFL went viral today, and it looks it's worse, but it's not from lack of care or effort." The mess on the box, she said, was not from neglect. It was from repeated vandalism.
Still, the response she posted was not to shut it down. Melissa said, "it can be frustrating, but I will always continue to try again, to give back, and to fight hate with love."
She also thanked the people who have stood by the library and made it possible to keep restocking it. "Thank you to everyone for their support - I am always accepting book donations!" she wrote.
For a year and a half, the little book box in Allendale kept getting rebuilt, refilled, and repaired. And even after the third ripped-off door, Melissa was still saying the same thing: she would keep trying.