Philani Dladla grew up in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. When he was just 12 years of age he received his very first book from his mother’s employer, who also left him his book collection when he died. Philani was struggling in KwaZulu-Natal so his mother moved him to Johannesburg as a last resort to save him from himself.
He was doing well in his new location for a while, working in a home for the elderly. He enjoyed his job, and loved chatting with the elderly folks and learning life lessons from them, and he was doing so well that he was even able to get his own apartment.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when Philani began to experiment with drugs. He lost his job and his apartment and resorted to living under the Nelson Mandela Bridge. This was his home for years, and as you can imagine it brought many terrible experiences to Philani. He began to realise that his addiction would eventually destroy him for good, so he tried to make a change.
Though he lost many belongings throughout his years of drug abuse, Philani had managed to keep his collection of books. Philani started reading the books, and in an attempt to do something positive he decided he would review the books to motorists driving by, and he would then sell the books to them if they were interested. He would value the books based on his review, and with this passion for reading he actually started to make a name for himself.
Philani became known as The Pavement Bookworm and he caught the eye of a film maker who wanted to interview him. The interview was published online and went viral, changing Philani’s life forever. Today he runs a book club for children, and he helps the homeless people that were around him.
Now Philani’s inspirational story has been captured inside of his very own book. The Pavement Bookworm is a memoir of Philani’s life, and it’s the perfect representation of how reading affects us positively and can change our lives for the better. Be sure to give The Pavement Bookworm a read, and check out Philani’s website for updates on his fantastic journey.
