Those who enjoy reading and want to encourage more young people to engage with books have a very special event in front of the Central Library at the University City campus . In addition, those who cannot attend or wish to expand their personal library can consult websites for downloading free ebooks and books.
The activity is part of the "So That Young People Read" collection , framed within the " 25 for the Twenty-Fifth " program, promoted by the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE) in coordination with UNAM . The objective is simple yet ambitious: to put quality books in the hands of teenagers and young adults free of charge and reinforce the reading habit on one of the most important university campuses in Latin America, as well as to disseminate digital resources such as Telegram channels with free books.
Free book giveaway in front of the Central Library of CU
The distribution will take place right in front of the UNAM Central Library , one of the busiest spots on the University City campus in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Tables will be set up there where the university community and anyone interested can come and take a book home , free of charge and without registering.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 2026 , starting at 17:00 PM . It is a free , open-air activity, but with a limited number of copies available, so attendees are advised to arrive early if they don't want to miss out.
This event at CU joins other deliveries made in different parts of the country, such as the distribution of books in the Zócalo of Mexico City in December 2025. The project has been moving through different cities and spaces, with the intention that the impact of reading reaches young people from very different backgrounds and show ways to access free or very cheap books.
The head of the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE), Paco Ignacio Taibo II , had already announced in a public appearance that the goal is to distribute 2,5 million books to young people in Latin America, an operation he described as one of the largest international efforts to promote reading . This stop in front of the Central Library at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is part of that regional initiative.
In addition to the distribution of copies, the event at University City seeks to become a meeting point between readers, students, editors and cultural mediators, reinforcing the idea of the Central Library as the epicenter of the academic and cultural life of the campus.
Who are organizing and who will participate in the event
The initiative is a joint effort between the Fondo de Cultura Económica (Economic Culture Fund) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , through various university departments related to books and information services. Authorities and representatives from both institutions are expected to be present at the launch event in front of the Central Library , where they will also be available to provide guidance on how to obtain free ebooks using Calibre and other digital tools.
Representing UNAM will be Joaquín Narro Lobo , Director General of Community Outreach (DGACO), and Dr. Elsa Margarita Ramírez Leyva , Head of the Library and Digital Information Services. Their presence underscores the university's role in promoting free access to culture among students and visitors.
Regarding the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE), figures involved in publishing and content development will participate, such as Francisco Pérez Arce , the Fondo's founding editor, and Luis Arturo Salmerón , Deputy Manager of Editorial Content. The presence of these experts allows the public to exchange impressions about the books , ask about the collections, and learn firsthand how the titles included in the campaign are selected.
This type of event also strengthens the collaboration between UNAM and FCE, two institutions that have maintained a continuous line of work for years to facilitate access to reading and promote the circulation of works by Latin American authors in university spaces.
The project “ 25 for the Twenty-Fifth: So that young people read! ” is also financed with the support of the Institute to Return to the People What Was Stolen (INDEP) , which has allowed the program's reach to be extended to other countries in the region, in coordination with cultural and educational entities in Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina or Venezuela , among others, in line with initiatives such as free bookstores.
Who is the free book distribution in CU intended for?
The campaign's main focus is on young people between the ages of 15 and 30 , an age range that the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) consider strategic for consolidating reading habits that can stay with readers throughout their lives. Even so, the event at the Central Library maintains a degree of flexibility.
As previously announced, those over that age range will also have the opportunity to receive a copy , provided they are accompanied by someone between 15 and 30 years old. This approach aims to focus the distribution on young people, while still including other generations who share reading experiences in the university environment.
The activity is designed for both UNAM students and external visitors, local residents, or anyone interested in Latin American literature who can come to University City on the day of the event. Membership in the university community is not required to participate.
The exact location will be the esplanade in front of the Central Library, at Av. Universidad 3004, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City . As this is an outdoor event, attendees are advised to consider weather conditions and allow for wait times in case of high attendance.
Apart from this stop at CU, those who cannot attend have the option of following the upcoming dates and locations of the campaign through the official channels of the FCE , such as its website and its social media profiles, where new delivery points inside and outside the capital are announced.
What kind of books will be given away at the CU Central Library
Although a final list of titles for distribution in front of the Central Library has not yet been published, the initiative focuses on works by leading Latin American authors , many of whom are already regulars in the Fondo de Cultura Económica collections. The aim is to make texts that combine literary quality and cultural relevance available to young people.
The works likely to be included in the selection are stories, poetry, short fiction, and essays from different periods and countries in the region. Previous announcements have mentioned titles such as * Agua* by José María Arguedas, *Canto villano* by Blanca Varela, and * Cómo tirar contra la muerte* by Juan Gelman, which offer diverse perspectives on Latin American reality.
Also included are collections of short stories by authors such as Guadalupe Dueñas and Juan Carlos Onetti , as well as books of short fiction and novellas, among them Andrés Caicedo's * El atravesado * and Manuel Rojas's *El vaso de leche y otras historias* . These works, due to their length and tone, may be particularly accessible to beginning readers.
In the realm of poetry and formal experimentation, notable names include Amparo Dávila , with her book Música concreta , and Raúl Zurita and Roberto Fernández Retamar , whose works are collected in volumes generically titled Poemas . There is also no shortage of authors associated with chronicle and political reflection, such as Eduardo Galeano with La maravillosa vida breve de Ernesto Guevara and Osvaldo Bayer with Los anarquistas expropiadores.
Other titles linked to the campaign include Mario Benedetti 's *Geographies* , Carlos Montemayor 's *War in Paradise* , Roque Dalton 's * The Forbidden Stories of Little Thumb* , and Miguel Ángel Asturias 's * Weekend in Guatemala *. Taken together, the catalog associated with “25 for the 25th” offers a broad overview of 20th- and 21st-century Latin American literature.
Although each delivery day may vary in the combination of titles available, the general line remains: to put representative works of the region into the hands of young people , which invite reflection on historical memory, social struggles, daily life and the multiple ways of imagining Latin America from fiction and poetry.
A regional campaign to promote reading with a stop at CU
The distribution of free books at the Central Library of CU is part of a broader strategy that extends beyond Mexico City and Mexico in general. The program, “25 for the Twenty-Fifth: So that young people can read!”, includes distributions in various Latin American countries, in coordination with local cultural and educational institutions.
The idea of distributing millions of copies in a relatively short period aims to generate a tangible impact on access to books , especially among those who have less access to books through commercial channels. At the same time, the campaign seeks to revive interest in catalogs and authors who, despite their importance, sometimes go unnoticed by young people.
Events like the one at University City combine several objectives: on the one hand, to fill plazas and public spaces with books , and on the other, to reinforce the role of libraries and universities as hubs for the circulation of knowledge. That the event takes place precisely in front of the Central Library is no coincidence, since that building is a symbol of the academic and cultural life of UNAM.
The campaign also engages with other reading promotion initiatives across numerous countries in Europe and the Americas, where free lending programs, mobile libraries, and book fairs with activities specifically for young people are becoming increasingly common . In this case, the unique aspect lies in the sheer number of books to be distributed and its clear focus on Latin American youth.
With all this, the CU day presents itself as a concrete opportunity for those who live in Mexico City or regularly move around the campus: to come one afternoon to the Central Library , discover or rediscover Latin American authors and leave, literally, with a book under your arm.
Those who are encouraged to participate will find in this free distribution not only a copy for their bookshelf, but an invitation to continue exploring the literature of the region and to join a reading community that, from the esplanade of the Central Library, connects UNAM, FCE and thousands of young people from Latin America around the same gesture: sharing books and making reading circulate from hand to hand.
