Category Archives: literary

The newest kid on Birmingham’s book selling block is Malcolm’s Reading Room (404 17^th St. North) located in the ground level of the historic Masonic Temple building off of 4^th Avenue North. Malcolm’s Reading Room is billed as an African-American bookstore – the banners, t-shirts and colors make obvious after stepping through the door. But after spending a few short minutes with co-owner Simone Snelling, one gets the feeling that the store is about something more… passion.

A passion for all things revolutionary and thought provoking.

“We’re going to focus on books about African-Americans and by African-Americans, ” said Snelling. “But we’re also going to offer books on the women’s rights [movement], the Middle East, Che Guevara, music by independent musicians and art by local independent artists. Really, we’re looking for revolutionary things.”

Snelling says she and her husband, co-owner Courtney Snelling, always had the dream of opening a bookstore when they finally got their big break about a year ago.

“My husband was visiting Chicago, which is where he’s from,” said Snelling. “He ran across a going-out-of-business sale at a bookstore and that’s where our first big section of books came from.” She said that first haul netted the couple nearly 500 books and they haven’t looked back since.

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