The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading

Blair is the co-owner and operator of the independent bookstore EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore in St Louis, Missouri. She moved to the US from Guyana when she was 12, and she and her husband chose to homeschool their three children until the children began middle school. The children’s home education focused on African history prior to slavery, and the Blairs opened their bookstore upon discovering that there was a need in the education system and local community for more children’s books featuring racially diverse characters and covering African American history. Blair initially found running the store difficult because she lacked any knowledge of the industry, but she soon learned and has since received much praise and gratitude for the service she and her husband provide.

Galvin and her husband own the independent store Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, New York. Galvin bought the store from her parents when they retired, having fallen in love with books during college despite thoroughly disliking reading and studying as a child. The store serves a lot of tourists in the summer, but Galvin has a good relationship with many local regulars too. Galvin supplied books to local schools and children during the COVID-19 pandemic and always encourages parents to let their children read whatever makes them excited about reading.

Johnson is the events coordinator for the independent bookstore Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa. She’s always loved books and preferred to read rather than socialize when growing up. She began working as a bookseller after quitting an unfulfilling job in human resources, and she knows that—unlike some employees who are simply working for a paycheck—she is committed to the industry for life. Prairie Lights sells a wide range of titles and hosts many author events. Johnson loves being a part of Iowa City’s thriving literary community.

Hickson lives in New Jersey and became a high school librarian in her forties after an unfulfilling career in public relations. She enjoys working with high school students, but after 17 years of service, she has recently seen a small but vocal group of parents and students campaigning to get certain books removed from the library shelves. The complainants primarily target books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes. With the support of school administration, these activists attempt to bully their way around proper channels for book challenges and even accused Hickson of being a sex offender in a school board meeting. Hickson was deeply affected by the personal attack and the fact that the school administration did nothing to defend her. The following board meeting, however, saw hundreds of parents and students speak out in support of Hickson and against censorship; additionally, when Hickson reached out to a famous author who wrote the foreword to one of the soon-to-be-banned books, the censorship attempts were dropped. Young people give Hickson hope for the future, and Hickson is determined not to leave her job until she retires, no matter how stressful it is.

Stoyles is the customer operations leader at the Chapters St. John’s store of the Indigo bookstore chain in Newfoundland, Canada. They have been working there for 10 years and know that their customers are enthusiastic about supporting local authors, many of whom are dedicated regulars themselves. Booksellers often act as unofficial therapists for customers in need of books to guide them through life’s ups and downs. Stoyles enjoys interacting with customers, particularly a local family who often buy books on her recommendation for each other as gifts.

Kelly is the adult programming manager at a public library in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Libraries are important community hubs in Ohio, well-supported and beloved of the people. Kelly believes them to be a public good that levels the playing field by providing free services to those who need them. Kelly enjoys helping patrons and feels privileged to learn about their needs and hobbies alongside them. His favorite element of the job is running author events, and he has particularly fond memories of interviewing famous author Margaret Atwood.

Turbeville lives in Seattle, Washington, and works for Barnes & Noble as part of the store planning and design team. She has worked at Barnes & Noble for 20 years, having started when she was still in high school after spending her childhood involved in Barnes & Noble book clubs. Turbeville loves reading and loves her job, having met all her closest friends through the store. She has noticed the popularity of manga in recent years and how influential social media—particularly BookTok—is in encouraging young people to read. Booksellers make deep connections with their customers and are always happy to help with even unusual requests.

Hobbs is a customer experience representative for Indigo Books in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. She moved to Canada from the UK, where she previously worked for the British chain bookstore WHSmith. She thoroughly enjoys working as a bookseller, especially on Tuesdays, when most new titles are released. Young people are very enthusiastic about reading, especially when books are recommended to them through TikTok. Hobbs has run many author events and particularly remembers meeting the astronaut and author Chris Hatfield.

Wells is the founder and former owner of the independent bookstore-cum-café Rainbow News and Café in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He opened the store as a newsstand in the 1970s and later expanded it to meet the needs of the community by adding a café and a bookstore carrying both new and used books. The bookstore has a great reputation for carrying a wide range of books, and the Rainbow News and Café has become a popular destination in the city. The store was once badly damaged by a tornado as Wells and their customers sheltered inside. Although Wells feared his business was ruined, he was moved to find members of the community banding together the next morning to help clean up and repair the shop, all rhapsodizing about the store’s importance to the community.

Gerken is the owner and operator of the independent bookstore Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith, New Hampshire. She bought the bookstore when the former owners retired in 2017, as she previously worked there while raising her daughter before returning to a career as an architect. The store serves many seasonal tourists as well as locals and has many regulars. Gerken thoroughly enjoys working at the store and listening to conversations between customers and staff, even though she must do a lot of backroom work as the owner. She recently opened a new branch of the store, and although it’s a lot of work, she is dedicated to her vision.