War and Peace, and Other Books

His is a story of the times — global times, hard times — and, like the very best books, it’s as inspiring as it is instructional.

Fitting, then, that Emmanuel Logan’s nascent charity aims to deliver inspiration and instruction to the children of his home country, Liberia. There, warlord Charles Taylor’s strongmen killed Logan’s mother for protesting their recruitment of child soldiers; a teenager, Logan vowed to continue her fight, but was forced to flee after his work made him a target. Providence has been his home in exile since 2007: he married a fellow Liberian refugee, is raising four children, and works with learning disabled adults. Three years ago, the 32-year-old also enrolled at URI’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education, graduating with a major in Business Institutions.

But Liberia, with its fragile peace and its hopes for the future, remains his touchstone. He has gathered almost 12,000 used textbooks, an incredible wealth for a country where they are rarer than blood diamonds and infinitely more precious. IDEA (Initiatives for the Development of Educational Advancement) supplies books, clothing and donations to build libraries in Liberia. More info: eelogan32@gmail.com or 401.536.1920.— Pippa Jack