Todd Bol built the first Little Free Library on his Hudson, Wis., deck with wood from his old garage door and love for his mother, who had recently died. Nine years and some 75,000 libraries-on-a-stick later, Bol is sick with pancreatic cancer and considering his own legacy.
That legacy, inspired by loss and luck and a knack for problem-solving, is wide: Little Free Libraries, a common sight in Minnesota, have popped up in 88 countries across the world.
Bol, 62, was in the Philippines when he realized something was wrong. In early October, he received the diagnosis: pancreatic cancer. After a single round of chemotherapy, more bad news: peritoneal cancer. Between those diagnoses and before moving into hospice care, Bol spoke for hours this month in his Hudson home about the power of the dollhouse-sized libraries and the people, whom his nonprofit dubs "stewards," who care for them.
"If I may be so bold, I'm the most successful person I know," Bol said, with a sideways smile, "because I stimulate 54 million books to be read and neighbors to talk to each other. As far as I'm concerned, that's the very definition of success.
"If people get along and work together and share books, I'll take that over Billionaire Bob's money," he continued.
"I wouldn't switch my existence for Jeff Bezos or any of it."
