Free Little Peace Library Brings Books on Social Justice to Downtown Waukesha

Angie Dudley, a mother of two boys, was thrilled when Plowshare Gifts opened a Little Free Peace Library in downtown Waukesha.

Dudley is an employee in the shop but she enjoys perusing the titles in the Free Little Peace Library. While Free Little Libraries are popping up throughout Waukesha, Plowshare Gifts library focuses on peace, social justice and economic issues.

The concept of Free Little Libraries is to take a donated book and to replace it with another title for another person's enjoyment.

Dudley told Waukesha Patch she was excited to find a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank. While her sons are young, she still wanted them to hear the World War II-era story.

“Every night before bed, we read it aloud,” Dudley said.

Dudley isn’t the only person who loves the Free Little Peace Library. The library, which was built by a Plowshare Gifts board member’s elderly father, is often located outside for people’s perusal.

“People really look through it,” Dudley said. “They love it.”

Plowshare Gifts is a non-profit and Fair Trade business in downtown Waukesha. With three employees working in the store, it offers gifts and accessories from 30 developing countries. It also includes products from groups in the United States.