NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Has a Great Idea for the Snow Storm: ‘Heated Rivalry’
All hail the state-mandated yaoi! With much of the United States affected by Winter Storm Fern, yesterday was a particularly hazardous day as the storm moved east, hitting major cities like New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Millions were cautioned to stay inside as the snow piled up. In NYC, travel was difficult, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had a, how shall we say, pretty enticing alternative plan for snowed-in New Yorkers.
“The snow is coming down heavily across our city, and I can think of no better excuse for New Yorkers to say home, take a long nap or take advantage of our public library’s offer of free access to Heated Rivalry on e-book or audiobook for anyone with a library card,” he said during the press conference held earlier yesterday addressing the storm.
Mamdani’s comments were met with chuckles from the audience.
It’s still sometimes hard to believe that we have a Mayor who, for once, actually cares about the city. And though, yes, it is funny that he jumped on the Heated Rivalry hype train in this way, it is actually incredibly important for libraries to be offering something like this.
America struggles with a literacy problem
In 2024, 21% of Americans were found to be illiterate, and 54% had reading levels below sixth-grade. Sure, giving access to a series of queer hockey books isn’t going to kickstart any movements, but it could make a difference. All it takes is just one person who is willing to give free literature a try.
The NY Public Library announced via X on Saturday that anyone with a library card would have access to download any of the books from author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, six queer hockey romance novels. The library is offering the instant access through February 14.
If you weren’t already aware, Heated Rivalry is the second book in the Game Changers series, and is the source material for the hit Crave-HBO Max series that stars Hudson Williams as Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov.
(featured image: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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