So yesterday, I happened to be in the Cleveland area, and I took that opportunity to visit Trader Joe's in Chagrin Falls. We don't make it out to Cleveland as often as we'd like, and both my partner and I find it hard to live without some of the merchandise they sell at Trader Joe's: For me, it's the source of my favorite coffee (Bay Blend); for my partner, it's the two-buck Chuck.
Next door to Trader Joe's is a Barnes & Noble. I hadn't been in a B&N for quite a while, so I stuck my head in and browsed a little. After looking through the new releases and the shelf of science books, I moseyed over to where I had seen LGBT books previously. In my past experience, in B&Ns, LGBT nonfiction is located among the "Social Science" books. I found the "Social Science" books in a single bookcase. There were no LGBT books apparent. For that matter, there were no books on feminism or women's studies either. I made a more complete reconnaissance of the store to see if I could find anything, and found nothing.
I started to smell a grand conspiracy...
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So where were the LGBT books that used to be in the Chagrin Falls B&N? Why could I not find them? I suppose I should have asked one of the staff, but I figured if I couldn't find them on my own, then neither could a gay or questioning youth who might need to find them without assistance. Now Chagrin Falls is a fairly upscale, conservative region of the greater Cleveland area (all the latest anti-Obama screeds by any right-wing loon you could imagine were prominently displayed), so the LGBT books might have been removed due to some ultra-conservative customer being offended by their very existence. However, I had this odd feeling that the absence of LGBT books may be more nefarious than the local B&N catering to its local environment.
Once upon a time, around the time that I was coming out, there existed in most large cities a number of bookstores that catered to the LGBT community. There were even chains: for example, A Different Light in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Lambda Rising in Washington and Baltimore. But the big chains, Border's and B&N, were in their growth phase at that point, and they carried many of the same titles as the LGBT bookstores. Eventually, most of the LGBT bookstores went out of business, partly because of the ease of on-line purchase, but no doubt also because the big chains carried the same merchandise and undercut in pricing as well. (Fortunately, there are still a few LGBT bookstores out there: Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia and Read Street Books in Baltimore, for example.) Soon after many of the LGBT bookstores disappeared, the shelf space devoted to LGBT selections in the big chains began to shrink. I even had problems finding popular and classic titles, such as books by Gertrude Stein, or compilations of Dykes to Watch Out For.
Now, of course, the big chains themselves have been having financial problems, to the point where Border's has gone under completely. B&N is the last big chain standing, giving it a virtual monopoly. Should I then be to surprised that I can't find any LGBT books at all anywhere in the store? They don't serve the LGBT community anymore because they don't have to! And there are at best very few bricks-and-mortar alternatives in which to find such books. Admittedly, one can find LGBT books on-line, but again, what is the likelihood for a vulnerable young person to be able to order something on-line without his/her parents detecting it?
I decided to test my theory by visiting the local B&N in these parts--in Erie, PA. Unlike the Chagrin Falls store, I was able to find the LGBT section, though it only consisted of about one and a half shelves worth of selections. Pathetic, but better than nothing, I suppose.
So perhaps my grand conspiracy theory is hogwash. Nonetheless, the demise of Border's and the financial distress of B&N could spell out an opportunity for independent bookshops in general, and LGBT bookshops in particular. Perhaps there will be a rebirth of those magical bookstores that seem to have everything (I'm thinking, for example, of the defunct and lamented Printer's Inc., which was in Palo Alto). Or perhaps the whole enterprise of publishing will be given over to the electrons, and we will all have to download our books onto our readers. Call me old fashioned, but I'm not ready for that. I still need to see and feel and read the physical object in my hands. How else can I know if I really want to buy it?
Enough of that. Now on to the comments!
From JanF:
bubbanomics was on a roll in J Town today. First with this description of Republican presidential evolution, then this analysis of Rick Perry
From Julie Gulden:
This comment by cooper888 in Breaking: MIT Lab... is a hoot
From your humble diarist:
In the Midday Open Thread, socalmonk starts a fun thread regarding Michele Bachmann's, er, gustatory choices. Hilarity ensues. May not be appropriate for children.
TOP MOJO:
Courtesy of mik, to whom eternal thanks are owed.
1) Even in the primeaval forests by Brit — 209
2) The President is the President... by David Kroning II — 202
3) More left-bashing and revisionist history? by bobswern — 135
4) I had no intent of posting a diary today by teacherken — 133
5) Anyone who makes these by Philoguy — 128
6) lol by Happy Rockefeller — 114
7) This is right on the by Philoguy — 111
8) Your words matter. by gfre — 105
9) I was walking to my car this morning and nodded by importer — 103
10) How Dare Anyone Suggest That the Rich Be Allowed by Gooserock — 103
11) I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop… by Malacandra — 91
12) It's all good... by David Kroning II — 90
13) sorry! by big mouth — 87
14) OH, dear. I wish we did not have to make by commonmass — 82
15) This is excellent! perry is such a disgusting tool by denig — 81
16) Seriously, his economic policies by gulfgal98 — 81
17) Leaders change what is possible NT by JesseCW — 79
18) Exactly. by icebergslim — 79
19) As Colbert said: by Judge Moonbox — 78
20) Yes, and? by David Kroning II — 77
21) You are contributing to the meme by cryptodira — 76
22) I've come to this conclusion as well by billlaurelMD — 75
23) Ongoing left-bashing, which ignores... by bobswern — 72
24) I am so glad that everyone was OK. by blue jersey mom — 72
25) It's sad how many people around here... by ratmach — 70
26) Phew, thanks Brit by AnnetteK — 68
27) Just wait, Rick Perry is on Mission from God. by Bailey Savings and Loan — 67
28) No can do. by gooderservice — 67
29) Keep telling yourself that by Happy Rockefeller — 66
30) Nixon was a Keynesian, Obama is not by RFK Lives — 65