In July, we checked in on the book readers of Dolores Park. Here’s part two of literary dive.

Olivia reading “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë

A person wearing sunglasses reads a book while lounging on a red park bench. A coffee cup and backpack are on a nearby bench.Olivia, just finished
“Love in the Time of Cholera,” by Gabriel García Márquez and is reading Wuthering Heights, a novel by Emily Brontë. Photo by Stephen Vincent.

I just finished Gabriel García Márquez’s “Love in The Time of Cholera.” This one is Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights.”

I have never read her. 

I want to finish it before the new movie comes out. Were you here at the demonstration against Trump in the park on Friday? 

Oh, yes. 

Yes, we have to bring this guy down. He is a horrible president and a racist. 

Enjoy your new Brontë! 

Carolyn reading “Imagination: A Manifesto” by Ruha Benjamin

Person in sunglasses and a red hoodie sits on a bench outdoors, smiling and reading a book titled “Imagination” by Nic Stone and Angie Thomas.Carolyn reading “Imagination: A Manifesto,” by Ruha Benjamin

It’s a book about systems and the ways one can research and imagine new ones. I am a criminologist. I work for the San Francisco Police Department. I study systems.

Yes, you can take my picture. I like your project. I’m from Chicago. 

Do you know Mark Bradford, the painter? He lives and works in Chicago. 

Check out today’s New York Times. Talk about systems and imagination! He is painting a huge mural of Chicago for the outside walls of the Obama Library. Let me write down his name. 

Your dreads look very complex and expensive. 

Oh, yes. Next time around it will not be so much.

They are beautiful. 

Unknown reader, “The Fort Bragg Cartel” by Seth Harp

A man wearing headphones and a beanie sits on a bench reading “The Fort Bragg Cartel” book, with cars parked in the background and a backpack beside him.The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp, Photo by Stephen Vincent.

It’s about a very corrupt division in the military. Drugs, murder, they do it all. It’s a good story but bad news. 

A music student, “Crime And Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Person with long curly hair sits on a bench outdoors, holding a black-and-white book. A bicycle and another person are visible in the background.A student at the Conservatory of Music, reading “Crime And Punishment ,”by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Photo by Stephen Vincent.

It’s “Crime and Punishment.” I read it once in High School and did not like it much. Now I love it. It’s a real page turner

Me? I am Filipino. I go to the Conservatory of Music. 

Do you like it? 

Not really. 

What kind of music do you make? 

Heavy metal. 

David and Calvin, reading “Sex, Crime, and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco” by Randy Shaw and “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

Two people sit on a wooden park bench reading books; one wears a grey Berkeley hoodie, the other wears a black Adidas jacket and sunglasses.David, on the left is reading “Sex, Crime, and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco” by Randy Shaw . Calvin on the right is reading “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho, Photo by Stephen Vincent.

David, left, has just started a book on the history of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. 

“It started after the 1906 Earthquake. Building new residences. It’s fascinating. Me? I work in the Admission’s Office at the University of San Francisco.” 

Calvin, on the right is reading “The Alchemist.”

“It has nothing to do with that. A shepherd boy in Spain has a dream of finding treasures inside the pyramids in Egypt. He is going off to find them. I’m a software engineer.” 

Do you know each other? They turn to look at each other. No. 

The exploration of the Tenderloin and a journey to the Pyramids happening at the same time on the same bench between two people who don’t know each other. Fascinating to imagine the way people sit so close and be so raptly immersed in such different histories. 

Kayan, reading “Between Heaven and Hell, A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley” by Peter Kreeft

A person sits on a bench at night, looking at their phone while holding an open book in their lap, wearing glasses, earphones, and a jacket.Kayan, reading “Between Heaven and Hell, A Dialog Somewhere “Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley,” by Peter Kreeft. Photo by Stephen Vincent.

At last, under a bright white full, Wolf Moon, a night reader.

I am Stephen. Can I take your picture? 

Yes. 

Can I ask your name?

Kayan 

Is it Irish? 

No. It is Arabic. 

What do you do? What’s your calling? 

I study acupuncture. 

“What is the title of your book?” 

‘Between Heaven And Hell.’ 

Thank you. Enjoy the book and moon. 

Felix reading a paper

Person with short yellow hair, black leather jacket, and boots sits on a bench holding papers. A helmet and bag are beside them.Felix, reading a report. Photo by Stephen Vincent

My name is Felix. It’s about mutual-aid. 

What’s that? 

It’s like what we can do to help each other out. Food, housing, all those things.

Caven reading “A Real Emergency, Stories from the Ambulance” by Joanna Sokol

A person in a maroon shirt and jeans sits on a bench, holding a book and notebook, with a gray backpack on the ground and greenery in the background.Caven, reading “A Real Emergency, Stories from the Ambulance” by Joanna Sokol. Photo by Stephen Vincent.

My name is Caven. It’s Scottish. I am about to finish my training to be a driver and work on ambulances. The book is by my teacher and it’s a good one. 

Why do I want to do it? When you get a 911 call from someone who is alone, to take the call is an awesome responsibility. 

Also a good adrenalin rush? 

Oh yes, that, too.