But Philani shatters the illusion so many people are under—the illusion that the impoverished among us are illiterate.
He has a passion for reading and has found a way to use that passion to make a living. He reads and reviews books on the corner of Gleneagles and Barry Hertzog Streets in Johannesburg, South Africa, and if you like the review, he will sell you the book.
He has an incredible knowledge of the authors and has an intricate understanding of the inns and outs of the plots of all the novels he recommends to commuters.
He believes in the power of knowledge and encourages children to get into the habit of reading by giving children’s books away for free.
A recovering addict himself, he encourages the youth to become addicted to reading as opposed to anything else because, as he puts it: “There is harm in cigarettes and other bad habits, but I promise you, there is no harm in knowledge.”
People have gotten to know about Philani and many often take unwanted books to him, which he can re-sell. With the money he earns, he buys food for himself and his homeless, unemployed friends.
If he has many books, he takes some to a school in Soweto because the government only supplies text books to schools and no novels.
Philani has learned that he can escape his circumstances if it becomes too much and he can travel anywhere using his imagination while immersing himself in a good book.
