Who says that crime fiction and film offerings are just for entertainment? As if entertainment alone wasn't enough, of course. There have been a few examples in the news lately which prove crime fiction isn't just a pretty face (or mug, as the case may be) and can actually inspire some charitable and/or educational endeavors, as witness the following:
- Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo announced he will donate all the proceeds from his new book Headhunters to the battle against illiteracy among children, with funds going to countries with a high rate of illiteracy (maybe he should start with the U.S., where Hispanic teens and African-American teens have illiteracy rates of 25% and 20% respectively).
- In Davie, Florida, Michael Sheetz, an instructor with American InterContinental University's Criminal Justice Department in Weston, and Dr. Grace Telesco produced a 75-minute murder mystery film to show the stress of working in law enforcement, with proceeds benefitting the Broward Sheriff's Office Foundation: Fallen Heroes Fund, which aids seriously injured police officers and their families.
- In Naples, Florida, sixth grade language arts students at Corkscrew Middle School, inspired by the YA mystery novel Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, created a museum based on the works of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer.
- And in Connecticut, the Southbury Public Library is using mysteries to draw in kids into its summer reading program. In addition to creating a live murder mystery, the library will offer three months of mystery movies for teens. Anything to get kids to read more books is always a positive thing (see the illiteracy tidbit above).
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