A pair of Bronx schoolteachers are opening bite-sized libraries inside bodegas in an attempt to foster a love of reading beyond the classroom.
Bronx residents Suzanne Likeness and Zoeya Garcia launched the brainy initiative, Books x Bodegas, last fall to boost residents' exposure to reading by placing free-to-take novels inside the area's most-beloved hubs: bodegas.
"The library is a destination," said Likeness, a high school English teacher — and while Bronxites can visit a local library branch, the free bodega bookstores are "more about the visibility and the accessibility."
The effort comes nearly a decade after the borough's last big bookstore closed, leaving many neighborhoods with nowhere nearby to buy a book.
While "need is a part" of the initiative, "I think it's more about [sparking] desire, interest," Likeness said. "Sometimes you don't know you're interested in reading a book until you see a title, or a topic that you want, to spark your interest."
The project began in a bodega where Likeness' fiancé and fellow Books x Bodegas founder Ahmed "Primo" Cidi works, and has since expanded to eight stores across the borough. Locations include delis in Baychester, Morrisania and Riverdale, and even a Mexican restaurant in Bedford Park.
The prime real estate — oftentimes nestled between chips, soda and candy — is considered to be a generous donation of space, Likeness said. Dozens of books have since been borrowed by Bronxites of all ages, from tots to teens and adults looking for a new recommendation.
"For me, it's been a great opportunity to get to know where I live," Garcia said, adding that the initiative serves as an easy way to connect with neighbors. "We're having actual genuine conversations. It helps you feel more grounded to where you live."
Likeness stamps each Books x Bodegas donation with a QR code for bookworms to report how clean a book is — and even request specific materials to "check out" at their local deli. The schoolteachers have fulfilled several requests out-of-pocket, including demands for "Goosebumps" author R.L. Stine and poetry anthologies.
Aside from specific orders, the duo have since partnered with a local community group to solicit book donations. Locals have also reached out to Likeness online in order to find a bodega-based home for their collections.
"When it comes to the community, obviously the things we're making available for people are meaningful, but … it also means a lot for people in this community to give to others," Likeness said, noting that some donors have passed on books from the collections of loved ones who have died, or even their own published works.
"It allows people in the community to feel like the community is also looking out for them," Garcia said. "It makes people feel seen."