Nonfiction: Black-Owned by Char Adams

Picking up Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams was an easy decision. Like most book dragons, I love bookstores and can spend hours inside of one. I also have limited knowledge about the history of Black-owned bookstores in this country, and looked forward to Adams' stories and insights.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction title that explores the history of Black-owned bookstores in the U.S. Adams begins with the Underground Railroad and a name that very few know, David Ruggles. He is recorded as having run the country's first Black bookstore, and was a frequent victim of anti-abolitionist racist beatings and targeted attacks. From there, Adams moves onto the Black bookstore boom of the 1960s and 70s as the shops became crucial to the Black political movement. But much like the bookstore industry in general, Black bookstores have had to fight big chain stores, and of course, Amazon, in a near-constant struggle to stay afloat. Many shops have closed, reopened, and closed again, and Adams laments that there is no accurate record of just how many Black bookstores have existed throughout decades. But here she focuses on the specific history of quite a few, ending the book with a list of Black bookstores in operation in each U.S. state.

My Verdict: This is a short and easy read that chronicles the history of the Black bookstore in the U.S. It is a subject that few know about, and Adams' attempt to make a record of it and make it more widely known is admirable. There are personal anecdotes from those that opened and operated a Black bookstore, many including well-known authors that visited the stores during book tours for their latest publications. And of course, there are stories about enduring the political strife that can come with operating a shop that focuses on the history of Black people, especially during the 1960s and 70s. Adams presents the information with honesty and enthusiasm, clearly eager to pass this history along, while also acknowledging that the story is not done.

Favorite Story: Clara Villarosa, owner and operator of Hue-Man Experience Bookstore, which first opened in Denver and then moved to Harlem (but is now sadly closed), tells of a brief and tense exchange she had with someone at a conference. Apparently, they did not like how Villarosa was ordering people around and challenged her with "Do you know any sweet words?" When Villarosa looked up, she saw the question came from Maya Angelou, who then followed up with "Everybody knows you're in charge. You don't have to act like it."

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss.