Photo by Raven Underwood; used under CC Attribution license.
Nathan Fillion has, in the space of seven years, risen to the status of a geek icon. Beginning with his best-known role as Captain Mal Reynolds on Firefly, his work on several of Joss Whedon’s projects has transformed the former soap opera actor into a huge draw for the geek crowd. But there’s a lot more to Fillion than tight pants and a pistol — and a heck of a lot more than a shirt with a picture of a hammer on it.
For one thing, he loves to read. He grew up with two English teachers for parents, and the love of books that they nurtured in him continues to inspire him today. It was, significantly, that love of books that drove Fillion and his good friend, author PJ Haarsma, to found the organization Kids Need to Read. Kids Need to Read is a charity that concentrates on fostering this same love of books in kids all over the United States by giving books to public libraries and schools, which are all to often woefully underfunded. Continue reading