Send us a list of books (at least four books but no more than forty) that you wish everyone might read to make the world a better place. Please tell us (briefly or at length) why the books on your list make a difference. A panel of judges will select the most noteworthy entries in September.The notion that everyone (however "everyone" is defined) might read something between four and forty books seems impractical to me, judging by my experience of schools, book clubs, and life in general, where reading is often scanted. The notion that the said books might make the world a better place should everyone read them seems pretty speculative too.
Having said that, I am grateful to Second Story Books. It seems to me to have made Washington a better place by its operation. I am grateful also for the many books it has sold me over the years. I hope it will have another forty years at 20th and P Sts., NW.
When I moved to D.C. in '95, Second Story was a real blessing, especially when I worked at or near DuPont. Many of my first cookbooks came from there, as did countless language books and novels. Their continued presence keeps me feeling connected to that otherwise vanished version of D.C. (I don't get back to the shop very often, but a few times I year I do have the pleasure of roaming around their warehouse in Rockville...)
ReplyDeleteIt is well that you can get to the warehouse. Versions of D.C. do vanish at a surprising pace.
DeleteIndeed! On two or three occasions, I've purchased books at Second Story and received a weird amount of deference. Afterwards I realized why: I was paying by credit card, and my last name looks, at first glance, like the surname of the Second Story founder....
DeleteYes, I remember the near coincidence of surnames, though I had forgotten it.
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