Who ordered a Great Gats-B.E.C.!<\/p>\n
A pair of Bronx schoolteachers are opening bite-sized libraries inside bodegas in an attempt to foster a love of reading beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n
Bronx schoolteachers Suzanne Likeness and Zoeya Garcia are two of the founders of Books x Bodegas. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
Boogie Down borough denizens Suzanne Likeness and Zoeya Garcia launched the brainy initiative, Books x Bodegas, last fall to boost residents\u2019 exposure to reading by placing free-to-take novels inside the area\u2019s most-beloved hubs: bodegas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe library is a destination,\u201d Likeness, a Spuyten Duyvil resident who teaches high school English as a second language, told The Post \u2013 and while Bronxites can visit a local library branch, the free bodega bookstores are \u201cmore about the visibility and the accessibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Free books for children and adults are nestled next to chips and candy at Johnson Deli in Riverdale. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
The effort comes nearly a decade after Barnes and Noble left the borough, leaving a \u201cbook desert\u201d in its wake.<\/p>\n
While \u201cneed is a part\u201d of the initiative \u2026 I think it\u2019s more about [sparking] desire, interest,\u201d Likeness said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you don\u2019t know you\u2019re interested in reading a book until you see a title, or a topic that you want, to spark your interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project that began in a Spuyten Duyvil bodega \u2014 where Likeness\u2019 fianc\u00e9 and fellow Books x Bodega founder Ahmed \u201cPrimo\u201d Cidi works \u2014 has since expanded to eight stores across the boroughs.<\/p>\n
Locations include delis in Baychester, Morrisania and Riverdale, and even a Mexican restaurant in Bedford Park.<\/p>\n
The effort began in a Spuyten Duyvil bodega last fall, Likeness said. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
The prime real estate \u2014 oftentimes nestled between chips, soda and candy \u2014 is considered to be a generous donation of space, Likeness said.<\/p>\n
Dozens of books have since been borrowed by Bronxites of all ages, from tots to teens and adults looking for a new recommendation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s been a great opportunity to get to know where I live,\u201d Garcia, of Allerton, said, adding that the initiative serves as an easy way to connect with neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re having actual genuine conversations,\u201d she said. \u201cIt helps you feel more grounded to where you live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps you feel more grounded to where you live,\u201d said Garcia (center). Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
Likeness stamps each Books x Bodegas donation with a QR code for bookworms to report how clean a book is \u2014 and even request specific materials to \u201ccheck out\u201d at their local deli.<\/p>\n
The schoolteachers have fulfilled several requests out-of-pocket, including demands for \u201cGoosebumps\u201d author R.L. Stine and poetry anthologies.<\/p>\n
Aside from specific orders, the duo have since partnered with local civic groups \u2013 including the Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation \u2013 to solicit book donations.<\/p>\n
Locals have also reached out to Likeness on social media in order to find a bodega-based home for their collections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to the community, obviously the things we\u2019re making available for people are meaningful, but \u2026 it also means a lot for people in this community to give to others,\u201d Likeness said, noting that some donors have unloaded books from libraries of their deceased loved ones, or even their own published works.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt allows people in the community to feel like the community is also looking out for them,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes people feel seen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who ordered a Great Gats-B.E.C.! A pair of Bronx schoolteachers are opening bite-sized libraries inside bodegas in an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":207738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[275,2878,128,26301,57,9,24,197,63,129,131,130,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-207737","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-bronx","8":"tag-bodega","9":"tag-books","10":"tag-bronx","11":"tag-libraries","12":"tag-metro","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-new-york-city-life","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-the-bronx","18":"tag-the-bronx-headlines","19":"tag-the-bronx-news","20":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}