Reading Changed My Life - Townsend Press

Reading Changed My Life! Three True Storiesowner agreed to let her have them.Julia and some of her fellow officers began haulingthe books around in the trunks of their squadcars. When they had any contact with children, thebooks would come out. They gave books away duringschool visits, when children would come to thepolice station, even during traffic stops. AtChristmas, a merchant provided a storefront, andthe officers hosted a book giveaway. Children cameto it pulling wagons and carrying bags to take theirprecious books home.For Julia and the other officers, it was a goodfeeling to see the children’s faces light up when theysaw an officer in uniform. “I knew how inner-citypeople regarded the police,” Julia remembers.“They didn’t have a good flavor in their mouthsabout us. Throughout my career, my goal was tomake people see that there was a human beingbehind the badge. I wanted them to know that,yeah, I’ll arrest you if I have to, but what I want to72