This year, the Human Library had the opportunity to contribute to Copenhagen Pride Week with a pop-up event at City Hall Square. On Tuesday, ten Books and four Librarians were able to complete over 50 loans in one afternoon. 

Readers getting guidance from one of our librarians. (Photo: Elin Hansen)

With topics such as asexual, HIV+, amputee, bipolar, anxiety and depression, the Human Library opened a temporary bookshelf in the middle of City Hall Square. Within four hours, all the Books were borrowed multiple times, and there was a constant buzz from the many exchanges between readers from around the world and the volunteer books from the Human Library’s Book Depot in Copenhagen. Loans were, as always, free to our readers. 

Great Interest from Readers

Copenhagen Pride is already an event with a strong focus on diversity, which makes the concept of the Human Library a great fit for the program, and the interest from readers was substantial. 

“We’ve basically had almost all of our Books out on loans all throughout the afternoon,” Says Librarian Linnea Hardgrib

One of the pageturners that have been in the hands of readers is our latest Book of the Month, 46-year-old Filip Milo. He is an open book in the Human Library with the subject of being an amputee. 

Filip Milo at Copenhagen Pride. (Photo: Elina Hansen)

“I was borrowed by, among others, a lesbian couple, where one was a doctor and the other a chiropractor, and it turned into a longer conversation about physics, illness, and healthcare. Others wanted to know how it had gone so wrong. And since I was wearing shorts for the Pride event, my book topic as an amputee was quite evident to anyone before we even started talking.”

Takes Courage to Talk Openly About Anxiety

Monica Molin is 27 years old and offers her readers access to her lived experience with anxiety. This resulted in six loans in four hours. 

“I think it’s incredibly brave that my readers come and talk openly and honestly about their own experiences. One reader had just arrived in Copenhagen from Germany the day before, and she mentioned that many of her friends were struggling with anxiety, and she wanted some advice on how to best support the people in her network. And that’s actually one of the best things for me as a book to talk about. How we can best support and help each other,” says Monica. 

Even heavy rain could not prevent people from taking advantage of the learning opportunity. And so after a bit of rain, it cleared up again, and people could sit outside in the sunshine with their open book and challenge their prejudices. 

An open book with her readers at Pride in Copenhagen. (Photo: Elin Hansen)

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“An otherwise very competent doctor at Rigshospitalet told me that I shouldn’t expect to ever be walking again. I don’t know whether that was reverse psychology, but it worked because it made me think: ‘Well, that’s not for him to decide.’”

We are sitting inside the Café of Send Flere Krydderier (Send More Spices) – a cosy little haven embraced by the community centre, Union, in the middle of Nørrebro in Copenhagen. The name of this place may seem a tad contradictory, for while we’re sitting there, a sublime scent of curry, garam masala, and coriander is weaved into the smooth notes coming from the Malian singer Rokai Traoré who’s playing on the speakers in the background. But maybe that’s exactly where the Café got its name from – because its food always includes so many lovely spices. 

Filip and I have sat ourselves in one end of the room with a cup of coffee in our hands. We are meeting to discuss his life and his role as a Book in the Human Library. He’s 46 and started publishing as an open Book in 2020 with the title “Amputee” after hearing about the organisation through a friend. He has been a volunteer ever since. As with many Human Library Books, I quickly discovered that you should never judge a book by its cover since Filip’s story entails much more than just his amputated legs. 

At 19 years old he left Jehovah’s Witnesses due to the fact that he is gay, and he started living alone in Copenhagen. What’s more is that he underwent a malignant cancer disease in the first half of 2020, which included momentary death, and eventually resulted in the loss of both his legs. 

“From an early point in life I’ve been used to people questioning who I am. So, ever since I was young, I’ve had to make tough decisions about myself and my life.”

Filip, a man who’s always in possession of a wink and a smile, is interested in talking about everything under the sun. He grew up a Jehovah’s Witness with his family in Jutland, a chapter of his life that’s helped shape him into the person that he is today. Among other things, he uses his upbringing as a reason why he from an early age, was conscious of what he wanted in life. But this was also the reason for his ostracisation from his family, as Jehovah’s Witnesses do not allow homosexuality in their religion.

It was a heavy choice to take, but at the same time, also a choice where he knew the consequences and felt it was a necessary action. It may sound cold and cynical, as Filip says, but in the end, it was a decision about whether he should live someone else’s life or his own, and when putting it like that it wasn’t a difficult decision for him to make. 

“There are many opportunities for people with a disability if you actually do a bit of research. Do you know how many places where I can gain free entrance in Copenhagen? Most, if not all, museums and the Zoo only cost me a penny.” 

At the start of 2020, Filip was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 43. From there, things began to escalate quickly. Filip started on an arduous journey with chemotherapy, and his doctor told him that he would either die from the cancer or the chemo. And that is literally what happened. Filip went into cardiac arrest and was in a coma for six weeks. It was while in a coma that he developed gangrene in his feet because his body couldn’t provide enough oxygen. 

On the 13th of August 2020, Filip was officially declared cancer free, but in the process, his legs were amputated from his feet to above his knees. It was one of the toughest chapters of his life, but at the same time, he had a steadfast resolution about being able to live his life to the fullest afterwards – despite having lost his legs. 

Throughout the course of his rehabilitation, that resolution persisted. He believes that his resolve comes from his time as a Jehovah’s Witness. From an early age, he experienced the necessity of taking control of his own life, and this has followed him ever since. 

Today, he’s using prosthetics for his legs, and he is enjoying the many opportunities available for disabled people in Copenhagen. Despite a supportive effort from the local municipality, Filip rarely needed much of their help, and he does view himself lucky as he made it through all the adversity without giving up. 

“I was in a place where I didn’t know whether I would be judged and met with prejudice or not.”

Filip started volunteering as a Book at the Human Library after the cancer treatment because one of his friends was a Book already. Thankfully, it’s a rare occurrence that Filip is met with prejudice in public – most of the time it’s children who point and stare. However, as he explains himself, the worst part after the amputation was the uncertainty that followed him around about what would happen and if he could ever live a normal life again. 

Uncertainty begets insecurity, Filip says. And, perhaps, it’s this uncertainty that many people without a physical disability have. The uncertainty of what life you can lead with a physical disability can quickly turn into an insecurity if you aren’t aware of the many offers and support available from your local municipality and not-for-profit organisations.

Filip states the therapeutic aspect as one of the main instigators as to why he joined the Human Library. Instead of sitting at home and losing touch with reality, he needed to ‘touch grass’ and be able to talk to people – something that also helped him talk about the entire process of his cancer and amputation in its entirety. 

However, today the aspects have changed a bit. Instead of being a therapeutic outlet for himself, he’s discovered how much value his experiences are giving other people as well. People are often very moved by his journey, and, as Filip states, when you’re affected by someone’s life, you start to think. 

My coffee went cold a while ago as a consequence of the intense and emotional talk with Filip, and Rokai Traoré’s mellow song is coming to an end. I thank Filip for his courage and openness, and while we leave the café, I reflect again on my own prejudice around physical disabilities. Turns out Filip’s theory was true – I was affected by his story, and it surely made me think. 

Visit the Human Library Reading Garden in Copenhagen on a Sunday to get a chance to read Filip.

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Linda from Copenhagen, Denmark, has one of the more unique titles on the Human Library bookshelf; Psychic healer. In 2018, she came across a Facebook post about The Human Library Organization, which sparked a desire to join once she had the time and mental capacity. Linda has now been a part of the Copenhagen book depot since June 2022.

Never Alone

Since childhood, Linda has lived with a sense of people being around her; “When I would ask them something, I got an answer. It was not just a feeling of yes or no. It was long and complicated sentences. Answers that I couldn’t have thought of, unpredictable answers. I have always felt that they were on my side.”

A Sixth Sense

Linda’s abilities are called Extra Sensory Perception, shortened as ESP, or popularly called a sixth sense. “It’s when your senses exceed the physical ones. We all live with the five senses that we know, but with extra sensory, I can see memories that are not my own, for example.”, Linda explains. “If you asked me about something from your childhood, I can close my eyes, tune in, and see the situation you’re talking about. A situation you’ve never told me about that no one could know without having been there.”

Bullied by her Bosses

Linda’s readers have the opportunity to learn about her abilities and her job as a healer, but for Linda, it is equally important to touch upon what it has been like to live as an outsider. “Because I’m a psychic, I have been bullied to the point of having to see a therapist. I’ve had to leave four different jobs because my co-workers were bullying me. At two of those places the boss was also part of the bullying.”

“Since I was a teenager, I’ve talked about clairvoyance and being psychic, and I have met a lot of resistance. It definitely has not been fun, and there have been times where I’ve thought, ‘Maybe I should just shut up about it’.” Linda says when asked about her reasons for wanting to become an open Book. 

“I’ve also had to deal with depression regularly because I have felt like there was no room for me in society. So it was actually a way to fight back.”

Challenging the Stigmas and Stereotypes

The fight Linda talks about is not only about her own experiences but also those of her colleagues within the alternative treatment community and their clients: “There is this stigma about psychics, which is what I represent, and other alternative treatment providers, that we’re crazy, that we’re naive, and we’ll believe anything. There are so many prejudices about what we are and who the people that come to see us are.”

Lockdown Changed Attitudes

But this attitude has recently started to change; Linda herself believes that the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic have led many more to research alternative medicine, healing and clairvoyance while in self-isolation.

“I think many people have been watching Netflix and YouTube at home on the couch and come across alternative documentaries, of which there are some amazing ones, and started thinking, ‘maybe there is something to it’,” Linda says. “Now, when I tell people that I’m psychic, people say, ‘Wow, that’s exciting; tell me more’. It used to be, ‘Oh, so you’re someone I’m allowed to bully’.”

“It’s a completely new society that I’ve returned to.” She laughs. “It used to be a discussion about whether clairvoyance is real. Now, it’s more of a dialogue about how it is possible, whether I’ve always had these experiences, and how it feels. They are curious about what is going on within the psychic. I really like talking about that.”

Read Linda in Copenhagen

One way to get the opportunity to read Linda is if you drop by the Human Library Reading Garden in Copenhagen. We are open to the public every Sunday from noon to 4 pm, and as always, the services of the Human Library are free to our readers.

Want to know more about our Books? Read about our last Book of the Month, Paris.

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The Human Library Reading Garden is gearing up for another tremendous season of courageous conversations in Copenhagen. We are all set to reopen for loans again at the end of April, and the great news is that this season we will be open to our public readers every Sunday, and yes, it is still free to use the services of the Human Library.

More than 500 Loans

In the previous season, we registered over 560 loans to readers during the Sunday sessions. This confirms the increasing level of interest, support and love from our Readers. People from all over the world visited us to borrow and read some of our open Books, and we are delighted to be able to provide even more opportunities for Books and Readers this season. The conversations about our diversity are more important than ever.

Open Every Sunday

Our team of Books and Librarians look forward to welcoming our readers every Sunday. The many visitors last year confirmed to us that we need to be providing even more opportunities for Readers to engage with our Books. The Reading Garden in Copenhagen has seen an ever-increasing influx of visitors since our grand opening in 2020 (*link to article).

“We are excited to be able to offer more learning spaces to the people of Copenhagen and visitors to the city and expect a steady traffic of courageous Readers this season”, says Ronni Abergel, founder of the Human Library and creator of the Reading Garden”

A Unique Learning Experience

The Human Library Reading Garden offers a free and unique learning experience for Readers to engage in dialogue on topics that often carry a great stigma and with people who have a relevant lived experience and who volunteered to answer questions about their life and background.

The new season in the Human Library Reading Garden will launch Sunday, April 23rd, and you can find a link to the event here. Readers are welcome from noon to 4 PM, and as always, the services of the Human Library are free to our Readers.

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As an intern at the Human Library, you will be working closely with and be responsible for coordinating and implementing independent projects. As part of the secretariat team, you will also be involved in tasks from different areas of responsibility, collaborating with other interns, volunteers, and employees. We value making use of each other’s resources and perspectives across differences, and experiences. You can read more about the different positions here:

• Internship at our International Department
• Internship with International Corporate Partnership Team

We are always interested in applications from skilled and engaged persons regardless of ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or age. We also encourage candidates with special needs to apply.

Send your Cover Letter, CV, and relevant material to Head of Secretariat, Silke Bech no later than Monday March 28th at 12PM. Interviews will be held shortly after. 

Read more about the Human Library

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You will be working closely with and be responsible for coordinating and implementing independent projects. As part of the secretariat team, you will also be involved in tasks from different areas of responsibility, collaborating with other interns, volunteers, and employees. We value making use of each other’s resources and perspectives across differences, and experiences. You can read more about the different positions here:

• Internship at the International Office
• Internship with Event Coordination

We are always interested in applications from skilled and engaged persons regardless of ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or age. We also encourage candidates with special needs to apply.

Send your Cover Letter, CV, and relevant material to Head of Secretariat, Silke Bech no later than Monday, November 8^th at 12PM. Interviews will be held shortly after. 

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The Human Library Organization has accepted an invitation to publish our books at the Danish Parliament as part of Constitution Day celebrations. Members of parliament, staff and all citizens are encouraged to drop by and unjudge someone.

MPs to feature on bookshelf

As part of the event on June 5th we have invited two members of the Parliament to be trained as open books. In doing so, they will help us challenge prejudice about elected officials and be on loan to readers, along with topics such as refugee, bipolar, transgender, Jew, homeless, unemployed, HIV + and many more.

Conversations about our diversity

The purpose of the event is to create a safe space for a democratic dialogue about our diversity. Where we can have conversations that help us challenge what we think we know about each other. It is a cornerstone value of our democracy that we have respect for the right to be different and the right to have different views. But it is increasingly important that we remind each other of the value in that recognition.

Free to our readers

We expect to publish more than 25 different titles on Constitution Day. It’s free for everyone to join, and loans can have a duration of up to 30 minutes. Readers under the age of 15 need to accompanied by an adult.

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Our Human Library Book of the Month is a series of portraits of our books created with the purpose of offering our readers a chance to understand the diversity and variety within our bookshelves around the world. It also provides unique insights into the motivations and values of being a book and volunteering for our organization.

For Aske becoming a book in the Human Library was something that happened by way of coincidence. One day at school the Human Library was on the schedule for the days program. After attending as a reader Aske was approached by a librarian and encouraged to join the Copenhagen Book Depot. That was three years ago and the rest is history as they say.

“The event made such an impression on me, that when I gave it some thought I realized that my journey could also be of value to others and so why not try and help people better understand”, he says.

“When I publish my primary topic has been Transgender, but I am also lent out to be open about my social anxiety, a skitzotypical disorder and my body modifications. I stay a busy book.”

Aske can no longer recall how many times he has been published, but attends as many events as possible, which usually means two events and sometimes more, each month.

Challenging the stereotypes

Bestseller of the year 2018, Aske Ravn.

With 3 to 5 loans at each event, Aske is a very popular book and he has had many different conversations. 

“Every loan is different, but usually I challenge the first three main stereotypes, before I even open my mouth: You see to most people I don’t look “transgender” and very many of them are expecting to meet a man dressed as a woman, or they expect a cross dresser to come out”.

With the body modifications, the many piercings and tattoos along with significant facial hair in the form of a beard, Aske also has the experience that many readers assume that it must be quite difficult to find a partner.

 “I honestly have never ever had anyone turn me down because of my gender or body.” 

The complexity of transitioning

After the first most common are out of the way, many readers also tend to assume that Aske is looking to go through surgery for a formal gender change.

 “The thing is I have never wanted that. It is my impression that many of my readers are of the assumption that transgender’s transitions is a black and white thing. From one gender, to the other, with no gray zones. But usually it’s not, and actually most of the transgender people that I know, and that is quite a few, don’t feel like they need to change alot of things, because to us, there’s not really a change happening. We know who we are, we’re just telling the world how it is. To everyone else, it seems like a lot of change is happening, but really, we’re just finally living the life we always felt was right for us. And unfortunately, some changes need to happen to our body, for people to accept who we really are. 

Most frequently answered questions

Aske explains that usually the conversations will include questions such as; What did your parents say, what is your sexual orientation, and when did you know. From there the loan can go in many directions. 

“We talk about my feelings about transitioning, how society and the government treats me, what physically happens to my body when injecting hormones, how I wish to be treated, and so on”. 

Helping people better understand

Becoming an open book made a lot of sense to Aske. Who loves to be the one to actually go and do something. He feels he does that by helping to offer a safe space where people can challenge the stereotypes and ask freely.  

“It’s awesome for me to see it happening right in front of my eyes, and to know that I did something nice for everybody else from my community. Because after the 30 minute conversation, I know my readers will talk to their friends and family about what they learned.”

Aske is very aware that not all questions can be answered and that the takeaways from readers are as bountiful for him as they seem to be for them.

“To meet with someone, who actually really wants to listen to what I have to say, and take that in. Some of them ask questions, that I might have never thought about, and that helps me get to know myself better, and also to be completely open in my answers. I always do my best to answer honestly and sometimes the answer I have to give is – I have no idea.” 

A valuable meeting for all involved

According to Aske, the Human Library creates something with value for all involved.

“I just honestly love the whole concept. This really brings people together. I talk to people I would otherwise never have had a conversation with. And I learn so much myself from both my readers, and the other books. I didn’t know much about blindness, deafness, incest, alot of mental disorders, and so on, before I got to meet them in the book depot. I even made friends with a police officer, that’s for sure something I thought would never happen”.

Something healthy about being open

As the years in the book collection add on, Aske remains in active circulation.

“It’s always healthy to challenge yourself, and to willingly learn or unlearn something. It opens up your world to meet different people, or it can be healing to mirror yourself in someone, and learn something about yourself”. 

Aske Ravn is on loan at events hosted by the Human Library book depot in Copenhagen since 2016.

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What will a nine year old ask a blind person about, when invited to ask freely? How will a 6 year old engage in conversation with a person in a wheelchair? That was some of the questions we were eager to learn the answers to, when we introduced the Human Library for Children at Copenhagens Culture House Islands Brygge.

The Niqab book with her readers.

All of our volunteer books were quickly sold out. The young readers aged 6-12 could choose topics such as “the boy who heard voices (Schizophrenia)”, “the lady who cannot see (Blind)”, “the man who cannot walk (disability)”, “the girl who ate away her loneliness (Bulimic), “the girl who did not look like her parents (adopted)” and “the girl who looks like a Ninja (Niqab).

From the first minute questions flew through the air and answers were returned at almost equal pace. Eye to eye or face to face. The blind book with her dog and the child with her parents. Learning about each others perspective.

“How do you pour your coffee, when you can’t see?”, it sounded from the table, while vigorously examining how it feels on the fingers to read Braille. 

 “How do you wiggle mosquitoes away when you can’t move your arms?” the disabled book was asked while the woman wearing a Niqab did indeed resemble a Ninja, she was frequently asked to explain why she wears religious headdress.

Our disabled book with his readers.

The Human Library for children was an instant hit with books and readers. Finally a library where you do not have to be quiet. Finally a chance to ask freely and nobody will hush you or say that you are not supposed to ask people about these matters, because here you can. Here your questions are welcomed by the people who volunteered to  answer them. For young and grown ups, alike.

“I’ve got answers to all my questions – it was so much fun! I want to borrow more books! ”. Said a girl with light in her eyes and a smile on her lips after reading her first book.

This was the first event in a series we are piloting with the City of Copenhagens Culture House at Islands Brygge. The Human Library for Children will return in the fall with more offerings for our youngest readers on our bookshelf. 

The first Human Library for Children also got some media attention, as journalists from Denmarks Radio and TV2 Lorry attended the event. Link to article in Danish and the news segment featured on TV2 Lorry: https://www.tv2lorry.dk/artikel/boern-laaner-miriam-med-niqab-og-udforsker-fordomme

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Imagine an eight year old asking a homeless person where they sleep at night? Or a person with disability about how fast their electric chair goes? This could be the scene at Copenhagens Culture House at Islands Brygge on June 23rd.

A bookshelf full of content aimed at helping children understand diversity and find answers to questions that parents often cannot give the answers to.

Bullying, homelessness and more

As always the Human Library is free for all and we expect to publish topics on bullying, self harm, disability, mental health, gender, occupation, ethnicity, religion and more. Readers from the age of 6 are welcome with a parent or guardian.

Pilot with city of Copenhagen

The Human Library for children is a pilot project developed in partnership with Kulturhuset Islands Brygge. Through a series of events with especially tailored content, we want to have a closer look at how children take advantage of the Human Library as a learning platform.

The June 23rd event is the first in a series that will run through the fall.

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