[ApK]

I'm not here (here meaning 'participating in this thread') claiming I know how to solve the country's poverty or literacy problems, but I do think the article gweeks posted above makes some good points.
I am reminded yet again on this forum of the Nickel Creek lyric:

"Those books you gave us look good on the shelves at home, and they'll burn warm in the fireplace, teacher. When in Rome...."

While making books easily available to the target demographic of this effort is, I think, a worthy goal for several reasons, it does seem like the approach is akin to giving out hydrogen powered cars where there is no hydrogen fuel infrastructure in place.

In this case this translates to: If the target demographic truly has difficulty with matters of time and access(e.g. library time, access to the Internet, etc.) perhaps effort/money/publicity/tax breaks should first be applied to addressing THOSE things, which I think are far more fundamental to overcoming poverty and illiteracy than mere ownership of books.
Distributing paper books doesn't necessarily serve the desired goal any better.
(see song lyric above).

ETA: TB posted while I typed...same sort of thinking, I think. I was also thinking of stuff like longer school days, before/after hours for school media center access, more community media centers.

Eventually all these issues will come down to insurance and tort reform, I bet.

ApK