c.2026, Amistad
$28.99
272 pages
Shhhhhhhh.
It’s an old wives’ tale that that’s what librarians always say. Shhhhhhh, hush yourself, be silent, don’t be so loud, no talking. Shhhhh, quiet is what makes a library appealing for many folks. As in the new book “Shut Up and Read” by Jeannine A. Cook, though, the bookstore is where you can really make some noise.
She had no plans to live in Philadelphia.
But that’s where Jeannine Cook landed after she graduated high school — in Philly, in college, living in a “shell” of a house with occasional rats and junkies. She stayed, though, fell in love with the City of Brotherly Love, and made plans in the form of college essays. She wanted to do something good for her community, to teach youth, and put books in the hands of the people who needed to read.
As it’s been throughout her life, Cook was supported in this plan by “aunties” and sister-friends, and by “angels” who often appeared. She also appealed to her muse, Harriett Tubman, whose name graces Cook’s first physical bookstore.
But Harriett’s didn’t happen easily.
Cook understood that she needed to own the building that housed her bookstore, and the owner finally decided to sell it to her. The closing took more time than expected; she was in Paris when purchase day came unexpectedly, so she had to fly back home quickly to get it done. There were problems with construction workers, problems with stock and events and building additional bookstores in New Jersey and in Paris. Problems with safety, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, and Breonna Taylor’s murder, and the riots that followed.
There were times, she says, when she felt like she was drowning. Her mother had gone back to the Caribbean, her father was dying (again), but Cook stayed the course.
She knew that books were the answer. That’s the mantra she said every day when she got out of bed: books would always be humanity’s salvation.
Go ahead, admit it: you need more books. And while you’re at it, you need this one.
“Shut Up and Read” is a sweet story with grit, determination, and magic. Anyone who’s ever looked for room on their calendar and found none will identify with it. Anyone who’s ever dreamed larger than large will find parallel in author Jeannine A. Cook’s words. If you’ve had a hero or two in mind when you launch a difficult endeavor, this is your book. Struggled with your health and that of an aggrivating but much-loved family member, yep. Ever wondered how you’re going to get things done, uh-huh. It’s all shared, novel-like, held together by coincidence and magic and heartbreak, surprises, customer-service smiles, an “overground underground railroad,” literature, and an artificial leg named Lester.
Yeah, it’s everything you’re thinking, and there’s room for it on your shelf.
Hush little reader, here is your book. “Shut Up and Read” is so worth a look. And if opening a bookstore was ever a lure, this is a book that you’ll love for shhhhhh-ure.