Bookstore Observation

Busboys & Poets Books is a part of something greater than itself in more than one way.  Dedicated to the Black Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, Busboys & Poets is a very popular social gathering place.  The large dining area of its restaurant and bar is always bustling with crowds of people and the stage in its ballroom hosts a variety of community events such as movie screenings and live performances that include poetry, music, and dance. The bookstore occupies less than a quarter of the physical space. 

Though the bookstore takes the name Busboys & Poets Books, it’s actually managed by a separate organization, Teaching for Change.  Teaching for Change is an organization that provides families and schools with tools to build social justice into their teaching in order to give students the skills to become more active and global citizens in the real world.  (For more information, visit: www.teachingforchange.org)

I love this Busboys & Poets Books!  Although small and somewhat crowded, I find its collection of books rich and refined.  The affiliation with Teaching for Change ensures thoughtful and deliberate selection of books.  However, the book selection clearly attracts a very particular audience- progressive teachers and social activists are the first that come to mind.

 The children/young adult section is situated near the front of the bookstore consisting of two, large, double-sided bookcases that form a single island.  Though this bookstore offers incredibly diverse books for children, the bookstore itself is not geared towards children.  Aside from the fact that it’s situated directly next to the bar, the bookstore is crowded and lacks any real comfortable area to sit and read.  I think the children’s section is geared more towards parents and teachers who will purchase books to bring back home or to school for children.  A note posted on the shelving reads: Anti-bias, activist, multi-cultural titles and even provides title recommendations.  Most of the books are shelved tightly, with book spines showing, rather than the cover.  As a 1^st/2^nd grade teacher, I know that the picture on the cover of a book often persuades students to choose it.  But they just don’t have the space to display all their books that way. 

However, the children/young adult titles are great.  A few titles that display the book cover:

•Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm & Rich Tommaso

(a graphic novel about the legacy of the legendary Negro League pitcher, Satchel Paige)

•Barefoot Gen series, by Keiji Nakazawa

(A graphic novel series of stories from the perspective of a young Japanese boy post World War II)

•Why War is Never a Good Idea, by Alice Walker

(A beautifully illustrated and poetic plea against war, discussing its vast global consequences)

•Those Shoes, by Maribeth Boelts

(A great picture book that identifies a common socio-economic story about one boy’s quest to own a pair of “those shoes” that every kid in school wears when his family really can’t afford them.)

•I Love My Hair, by Natasha Tarpley

(The title speaks directly to the shared story of many young, black girls and their relationship with their hair, addressing the significant social issue regarding perceptions of beauty and how it affects self-esteem.)

•Visions for the Future: A Celebration of Native American Artist Vol. 1, Published by the Native American Rights Fund.

(The title pretty much speaks for itself)

•A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World, published by UNICEF

(This photographic informational book can be used as a reference book, displaying real children around the world in daily life)

•Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun’s Kung Fu, by Emily Arnold McCully

(Set in 17^th century China, this realistic fictional story breaks gender stereotypes with the cultural legend of a young female warrior)

One entire shelf in the children/young adult section is dedicated to bilingual stories, mostly Spanish/English.  Nearby, a large Latino/Hispanic community still lives in the Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights neighborhood.  But the U Street/Cordozo neighborhood is definitely changing.  More and more expensive condos have been built, catering to the diverse, urban, young, single, middle-class, liberal, professionals changing the neighborhood.

Though I love this bookstore, I rarely make purchases from Busboys & Poets Books.  More frequently, I spend hours looking through books and writing down book titles to look for on Amazon.  Books are too expensive brand new!  I wonder how they can make ensure these fantastically diverse, “anti-racist, multi-cultural, activist book titles” are accessible to everyone.