Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing. 

-Harper Lee

Dear Friends,   

Did you know that September is National Literacy Month? It's the perfect time to get involved in making sure that children and adults in your community can read!  Share a favorite story with a child in your life, recommend a novel to a friend, or support Open Books with a donation of books or your time.  If you have students in your life returning to school, remind them how essential their literacy skills will be during their lifetime, and cheer them on! 

Here at the store, we're celebrating National Literacy Month by offering a 20% discount on all general fiction books and by asking you (that's right!) to think about why you read.  Complete the sentence "I read because..." on our Facebook wall or Twitter feed and we'll post your response in the store windows throughout the month!

While literacy is always top of mind here, it's important to remind everyone that literacy isn't just about literature. Consider the person who struggles to read a label on a medicine bottle or complete a job application.  Think about someone who may not understand a rental contract or a highway sign.  The ability to read is crucial to participating in society, not just enjoying the latest bestsellers. 

The end of September also marks Banned Books Week (September 24-October 1), and we will be celebrating it at Open Books all month long! Restricting the option to read is the antithesis of what Open Books believes in, and we hope you'll stop by the store this month to pick up a banned book that you might have otherwise overlooked. 

To Literacy! 

Sincerely,     

Kevin and Lizzy

Bookstore Team

Have you ever been lost in a wonderful book, 

Open Book Club: September

This month we're reading Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin.    

In the late 1920s Ford attempted to break the world's rubber monopoly by establishing an American-as-apple-pie foothold in the Brazilian rainforest where the Ford company could cultivate a rubber plantation. Though ambitious and well-funded, the project was ultimately a failure.  

Join us as we discuss Ford's attempt to export American culture and lifestyle to the Amazon river basin, how the company handled its disgruntled workers, what happened when they discovered that the land was infertile, and how Ford Motor Company eventually abandoned Fordlandia. Check out the list of questions we'll use to explore the book, then mark your calendars to join us -- no RSVP required!

September 13

6 pm

FREE

Laura Goode will present her debut
young adult novel, SISTER MISCHIEF, at the Open Books store this month! 

The novel follows Jewish lesbian lyricist Esme Rockett (aka MC Ferocious), leader of the diverse all-girl hip hop crew Sister Mischief, as they fight their wealthy suburban Minnesota high school's ban on hip hop culture and anything that could be deemed to cause violence.  The girls also work through their relationships, particularly Esme's feelings for friend and co-MC, Rowie (MC Rohini). Filled with hip hop slang and footnotes holding lyrics and text messages between the friends, this debut will delight anyone who seeks a little edge to their young adult fiction*.

September 21

6:30 pm

FREE   

*The material is best suited for students and friends in 8th grade and up.