The footballer and anti-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford has vowed to reach hundreds of thousands of children who have never owned a book, before the publication of his own.
He's writing a book now? Well...no.
Written in collaboration with the journalist Carl Anka and the performance psychologist Katie Warriner...
Just what, exactly, is he contributing then?
...the book draws on stories from Rashford’s own life to show readers that “success is all about the mindset” and promises to reveal “how positive thinking can change your life, build mental resilience, learn how to navigate adversity and discover the unstoppable power of your own voice”.
He certainly can speak to that.
The Manchester United and England striker has signed a deal with Macmillan Children’s Books to promote reading and literacy among children from all backgrounds, and has previously talked about his own lack of access to books as a child.
Rashford said: “There were times where the escapism of reading could have really helped me. I want this escapism for all children. Not just those that can afford it.”
Wait, they don't have free libraries in Manchester?
9 comments:
Aaagh....he's so bloody annoying.
Good on him. He's already a hero to many and it's great that he is using his influence for better causes.
That's a decent human being.
“success is all about the mindset”
Does that mean that I could be a professional footballer despite hating football and being useless at it? I just need the right mindset.
Perhaps he'll write about the ever-present role his own father played in his upbringing, taking responsibility and making proper provision for his offspring, so that their mother was able to feed them adequately . . . . . . or maybe not.
Mudplugger, his "father" was happy enough to coach his youth team, he just couldn't be bothered to spend any money on him or the numerous siblings he'd knocked out. Why would you, when you can just guilt trip the idiot taxpayer into doing it for you?
He seems do have done alright by concentrating on playing football instead of reading books. In any case, you can pick up books for next to nothing at charity shops, there are book banks at Tesco's where you can swap them or get them free.
Did he get an honour I can't recall ? my money was on St Marcus de Lunchbox-Rashford Earl of Tupperware, or something
Stonyground: I don't believe that Rashford's plan to get more children to have access to books will work as well as he may expect it to work. We already have ready access to libraries (or rather we did in more normal times) and unless you want something odd and which sells in smaller numbers such as some political or academic books,then books either new or second hand are ridiculously cheap.
I don't believe that the problem of children not having books is down to cost or other impediments to access, it's familial, cultural and familial attitudes. If parents and community does not value reading for its own sake then this attitude will not be passed onto the children.
I was shocked to find out when our son was born and we had a visit from the Health Visitor and one of the questions we had from her was 'how many books in the house'? We replied 'oh about three thousand' and she was shocked. I asked her why this question was being asked and she said that is the number of books in a house is somewhat of a measure of how supportive parents will be to a child's education and she added that most family homes had somewhat less than ten books in the house. I was astonished by this low number as even growing up in my working class family there were always books about. There were encyclopedias, technical books on metalwork and motor engineering as well as novels and general books about travel, maps and of course children's books. The same applied to my extended family as they also had more than ten books in the house.
I think that the problem with families who have so few books about may not be due to financial access reasons but more to do with the fact that the parents would rather buy their children a video game that can be used as an electronic babysitter rather than books that the parents might have to help them get to grips with. It's not money behind this lack of access but parental attitude.
"...it's great that he is using his influence for better causes."
I'd agree, if not for the suspicion that the 'better cause' is his own.
"Perhaps he'll write about the ever-present role his own father played in his upbringing..."
It'll be a pretty short book, won't it?
"In any case, you can pick up books for next to nothing at charity shops..."
When they reopen, of course.
"I don't believe that the problem of children not having books is down to cost or other impediments to access, it's familial, cultural and familial attitudes."
Spot on.
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