"Populations that have access to books have higher rates of literacy. ... of course respect for reading and parents that read to children increase literacy scores." http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/a-book-in-every-home-and-then-some/

Too many people still don't have books but there is an cheap, simple and effective solution - make them.

Make your own - One Example: Save the Children - Literacy Boost. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/118675/

Gift not Burden - Useful guidelines to keep in mind http://www.roomtoread.org/Page.aspx?pid=368

The problem with donating used books - First Book Marketplace http://www.firstbook.org/

Why people may want to make books - You get to feel good - twice. You have the satisfaction of making a book then take pleasure in giving it to some one.

“People want to be thought of as something other than a source of money.  They want to be thought of as creative, thinking people,” said Ethan Zuckerman, a senior researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/crowdsourcing-a-better-world/