The Book Fairies partnered with Our Shared Shelf to celebrate International Women’s Day 2017, and are very excited that THIS WEEK (June 21st & 22nd) we are hiding copies of The Handmaid’s Tale around Paris with Emma Watson! Read more about the Paris book drop here!
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is an opportunity for women, the world over, to raise their voices, to be heard, and to take action. From its origins in the United States over 100 years ago, International Women’s Day has grown with each passing year, as more and more feet join the march to fight back against female oppression.
Although different dates and several countries have tried to claim an annual event since 1910, the first official International Women’s Day was acknowledged on 8th March 1975, when the United Nations General Assembly appealed to member states to declare 8th March as the recognised day for women’s rights and equality for all.
International Women’s Day is also a chance to celebrate the many achievements of women from around the globe, despite the barriers of inequality that may have prevented them if they had allowed it. It is a chance for feminists everywhere, men and women, to support and encourage one another to be the best that they can be, socially, economically, politically and culturally. It exists as a global platform for the younger generations to look upon to know that nothing can stand in their way from being a success.
About #IWDoursharedshelf
To make a big splash on the day, book fairies around the world left copies of the following books from Emma Watson’s book club:
- Mom & Me & Mom, by Maya Angelou
- Half The Sky, by Sheryl WuDunn & Nicholas Kristof
- The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
- Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
- How to Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran
- My Life on the Road, by Gloria Steinhem
A full list of the countries involved on the day are below! Keep an eye out – books could be hidden anywhere…
A selection of Our Shared Shelf reads at Wolskel Road book swap, Singapore.
A book left for passers by in Japan.
If you’d like to write something about the launch of The Book Fairies and our campaign with Our Shared Shelf and Emma Watson, please get in touch with Cordelia on bookfairyemail@gmail.com. She will get back to you as soon as she can!
These are the countries that were involved in the IWD campaign:
- England
- U.S.A.
- France
- Germany
- Poland
- Argentina
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Canada
- Indonesia
- United Arab Emirates
- India
- Kenya
- Mexico
- Venezuela
- Japan
- Singapore
- Taiwan
- Italy
- Spain
- Denmark
- Slovakia
- Turkey
- Hungary
- Norway
- Ireland
We have since expanded and currently have book fairies in 100 countries and counting… become a book fairy here!