Emilio Puig and the Books That Filled the Gaps: A River Parish Librarian Remembers
A school librarian in the 2018alt timeline remembers Emilio Puig—a quiet man who tried to fill their empty shelves with books, one box at a time.
2018alt | River Parishes, Louisiana
You see these shelves? Half full on a good day.
I’ve been the librarian here at Marais Elementary for thirteen years. Some days I think I’ve spent more time patching up torn covers with tape than actually reading to the kids. It’s not that we don’t care about books—it’s just that we don’t have many.
A year or so ago, a man named Emilio Puig started showing up. Just a quiet guy with a pickup, and his two sons. They’d go door to door in their neighborhood collecting gently used books, then pack them into boxes and drive out here. Picture books, chapter books, even a few with those shiny read-along CDs still tucked inside. Didn’t want a thank you, didn’t want a picture. He’d say, “Looking around, I can see there’s still a lot more to do,” and drive off.
For a little while, it felt like Christmas. The kids lit up when I pulled out something new. Even the ones who said they didn’t like reading would crowd around just to see what came in that week.
Then he stopped coming. Don’t know if he moved, got busy, or just ran out of books. We still have some of what he brought, but a lot’s been loved to pieces.
The truth is, the shelves were half-empty before the flood. And after? It got worse. Continuous flooding, storm after storm, plus tight budgets and shrinking support—there’s just not much left for school libraries in places like this.
I look around now and think how much one person did. Just one man with a pickup and a heart for kids. I don’t think he ever realized the kind of impact he had.
What We Can Do Now
If you’ve got books your kids outgrew, or if your office is cleaning out a shelf—don’t throw them out. Bring them here.
Better yet, be the next Emilio. Set up somewhere public, put out a sign: “Books for Schools – River Parishes.”
There’s no shortage of kids who want to read. There’s just a shortage of books.
Inspired by the real need for children’s books in underserved Louisiana parishes. The names are fiction. The need is not.
Further Reading
- Louisiana Department of Education: School Library Guidelines
- Rebuilding Libraries in Disaster Zones (American Library Association)
- The Power of Book Donations (National Book Foundation)
Explore More: