CLEVELAND, Ohio—Rhonda Crowder always enjoyed reading, but she never imagined that it would change the trajectory of her life. 

  • A Cleveland literacy advocate is working to harness the real power of reading
  • She has written for multiple newspapers, edited nearly 30 books, and has authored a murder mystery
  • She created “Hough Reads,” a program designed to promote and encourage literacy in community where she was raised

“Reading is what took me out of this community, reading is what helped me transcend beyond being a little black girl growing up in the ghetto, if you would, because Hough was considered the ghetto when I was growing up,” said Crowder, Hough Reads founder. 

Crowder grew up listening to bedtime stories, but as she got older she got bored and reading became less interesting.

“I grew out of reading probably around 11, 12, or 13 years old,” said Crowder. “I stopped reading as much as I did, and I think it was because of the lack of culturally relevant books.”

Crowder was a young adult when she read “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou. It was her watershed moment—one that spurred her into action. 

“I finished reading that book, I picked up the phone, I called Cuyahoga Community College, and I told them I wanted to go back to school, and i did that, and i haven’t looked back,” said crowder. 

Crowder is a graduate of Cuyahoga Community College, and Cleveland State University.

She has written for multiple newspapers, edited nearly 30 books, and has authored a murder mystery titled Riddles.

One of her greatest accomplishments has been creating “Hough Reads,” a program designed to promote and encourage literacy within the community in which she was raised.

“We found out that Hough has a 95 percent adult illiteracy rate, the Kinsman community has the highest adult illiteracy rate at 98 percent, and that the overall adult illiteracy rate in the city of Cleveland is 66 percent,” said Crowder.

Crowder says she knew “Hough Reads” could not just promote literacy… 

“How can you ignite a community around improving literacy when the majority of adults can’t read?” she said.

It had to offer resources that would help create real change. 

“We do read-alouds and book giveaways, we’ve installed and presented little free libraries throughout the community,” said Crowder.

Crowder’s goal is to address the reasons behind Hough’s illiteracy—like a lack of access to books and low motivation--and harness the real power of reading. 

“Our tag line for Hough Reads is ‘Change the Game,’ because, imagine if that 95 percent becomes 95 percent that is functionally literate, how then would that impact the overall community?” said Crowder. 

“If it put me back on the right path, which brought me back to this community to promote literacy and encourage people to read, imagine what they may come back and do our what can happen in their lives, in their children’s lives,” she added. 

Hough became the 2nd community to become a little free library neighborhood in Cleveland.