Sign in with Facebook
BooksNCrannies's Reviews > The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
by
by
While The Bookshop provides an enjoyable ride through American bookstore history, I will not be recommending it due to some sexual content.
✏️ Review ✏️
From Benjamin Franklin's colonial bookish endeavors, to the online retail giant Amazon.com, from small community-oriented indie bookshops, to nationwide bookstores like Barnes & Noble, The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore takes readers on an enjoyable journey through America's history, highlighting the growth and evolution of bookstores across the nation. This book is informative and the writing style is free from the stereotypical stuffiness which plagues many historical nonfiction books. I did enjoy reading about this historical topic... until the author takes an unnecessary detour to talk about relationships between members of the same sex.
This detour starts with a discussion about a "gay bookstore." In this section, the author includes unnecessary sexual details and references about intimacy between men and other aspects of gay lifestyle (see the Random Comments section below for more details). And as I said, for a discussion on books and bookstores these details weren't at all necessary. Because of this, I only scanned this section for the sake of content warnings.
Otherwise, I did enjoy the bookstore history presented in The Bookshop. Seeing the progressive growth of bookstores in America was quite interesting and fun. Unfortunately, even though The Bookshop would have made a great nonfiction read for book lovers, I will not be recommending it to teens and might only selectively recommend it to mature adults who are aware of the sexual content.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📊 A Quick Overview 📊
👍🏼 What I Liked:
• The chronological presentation of the history of American bookstores.
• The writing style — it's not the stereotypical stuffy writing usually associated with historical nonfiction.
• The photographs that are placed throughout the book.
👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• The LGBTQ+ sexual content.
• The inclusion of some swear words.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓
— Would I recommend this book? No, not really.
— Why not? Because of the unnecessary sexual details concerning same-sex relationships.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 1/5)
~Fundamentals {Nonfiction Version}: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📑 Didactics: 3.5/5
— 📝 Writing: 3.5/5
— 👀 Engagement: 3/5
— 🧩 Clarity: 4/5
~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)
— 🤬 Language: 2/5
• One use of God's name in vain; two uses of the s-word; one use of the b-word; one use of "h*ll"; and one use of "cr*p."
— ⚔️ Violence: 0/5
— ⚠️ Sexual: 3/5
• LGBTQ+ content (see Random Comments).
• Contains a photograph of a "scantily clad" female-depicting mannequin (p. 109 of the Viking hardcover edition; or for other editions near the middle of Chapter 5).
• A few brief discussions about pornographic books.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📣 Random Comments 📣
• LGBTQ+ content: Chapter 8 contains a discussion about a "gay bookstore." This chapter contains many sexual details including mentions of sexual acts between men, mentions of men "kissing," mentions men dressing in drag, and many other similar details. Suffice it to say that this discussion contains a lot of sexual content. A few other LGBTQ+ references appear elsewhere throughout the book as well.
• A note about my rating: Despite The Bookshop being an enjoyable historical book, I have decided to give this book a one-star rating due to the sexual content — content that promotes a lifestyle which God in His holy and authoritative Word declares to be a sin (e.g., Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26–27). Had The Bookshop been free of this sexual content, I probably would have given it a three-star rating.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
💬 Favorite Quotes 💬
•Being surrounded by books matters. Sociologists have found that just growing up in a home full of books — mere proximity — confers a lifetime of intellectual benefits. Books offer warmth, comfort, and refuge. (p. 6)
✏️ Review ✏️
"[Bookshops] can be romantic spaces, places full of discovery, of chance, of wonder. They can be community spaces, activist spaces, political spaces. And they can be refuges, places to lose and find oneself."
From Benjamin Franklin's colonial bookish endeavors, to the online retail giant Amazon.com, from small community-oriented indie bookshops, to nationwide bookstores like Barnes & Noble, The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore takes readers on an enjoyable journey through America's history, highlighting the growth and evolution of bookstores across the nation. This book is informative and the writing style is free from the stereotypical stuffiness which plagues many historical nonfiction books. I did enjoy reading about this historical topic... until the author takes an unnecessary detour to talk about relationships between members of the same sex.
This detour starts with a discussion about a "gay bookstore." In this section, the author includes unnecessary sexual details and references about intimacy between men and other aspects of gay lifestyle (see the Random Comments section below for more details). And as I said, for a discussion on books and bookstores these details weren't at all necessary. Because of this, I only scanned this section for the sake of content warnings.
Otherwise, I did enjoy the bookstore history presented in The Bookshop. Seeing the progressive growth of bookstores in America was quite interesting and fun. Unfortunately, even though The Bookshop would have made a great nonfiction read for book lovers, I will not be recommending it to teens and might only selectively recommend it to mature adults who are aware of the sexual content.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📊 A Quick Overview 📊
👍🏼 What I Liked:
• The chronological presentation of the history of American bookstores.
• The writing style — it's not the stereotypical stuffy writing usually associated with historical nonfiction.
• The photographs that are placed throughout the book.
👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• The LGBTQ+ sexual content.
• The inclusion of some swear words.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓
— Would I recommend this book? No, not really.
— Why not? Because of the unnecessary sexual details concerning same-sex relationships.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 1/5)
~Fundamentals {Nonfiction Version}: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📑 Didactics: 3.5/5
— 📝 Writing: 3.5/5
— 👀 Engagement: 3/5
— 🧩 Clarity: 4/5
~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)
— 🤬 Language: 2/5
• One use of God's name in vain; two uses of the s-word; one use of the b-word; one use of "h*ll"; and one use of "cr*p."
— ⚔️ Violence: 0/5
— ⚠️ Sexual: 3/5
• LGBTQ+ content (see Random Comments).
• Contains a photograph of a "scantily clad" female-depicting mannequin (p. 109 of the Viking hardcover edition; or for other editions near the middle of Chapter 5).
• A few brief discussions about pornographic books.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
📣 Random Comments 📣
• LGBTQ+ content: Chapter 8 contains a discussion about a "gay bookstore." This chapter contains many sexual details including mentions of sexual acts between men, mentions of men "kissing," mentions men dressing in drag, and many other similar details. Suffice it to say that this discussion contains a lot of sexual content. A few other LGBTQ+ references appear elsewhere throughout the book as well.
• A note about my rating: Despite The Bookshop being an enjoyable historical book, I have decided to give this book a one-star rating due to the sexual content — content that promotes a lifestyle which God in His holy and authoritative Word declares to be a sin (e.g., Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26–27). Had The Bookshop been free of this sexual content, I probably would have given it a three-star rating.
📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚
💬 Favorite Quotes 💬
•Being surrounded by books matters. Sociologists have found that just growing up in a home full of books — mere proximity — confers a lifetime of intellectual benefits. Books offer warmth, comfort, and refuge. (p. 6)
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Bookshop.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Comments Showing 1-17 of 17 (17 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Jasmine (Jazzie) [Jesus Loves You!!]
(new)
Apr 16, 2025 02:25PM
![Jasmine (Jazzie) [Jesus Loves You!!]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1764343140p1/174090398.jpg)
Aw, it's so disappointing that that content was added... Sadly, I'll have to take this off of my tbr. But thanks for your review, BNC! It's very helpful!
reply
|
flag
Jasmine (Jazzie) [Jesus Loves You!!] wrote: "Aw, it's so disappointing that that content was added... Sadly, I'll have to take this off of my tbr. But thanks for your review, BNC! It's very helpful!"Yep, definitely disappointing. :-( Totally agree.
Oh, of course; I'm at least glad that my review is helpful.
Jesus Christ grow up. People swear. People have sex (it's literally in the Bible!). Stay in your bubble and read your little puritan books if you're afraid of the word crap.
omg gay people like books I'm crying how could they do such a thing
Taylor wrote: "Jesus Christ grow up. People swear. People have sex (it's literally in the Bible!). Stay in your bubble and read your little puritan books if you're afraid of the word crap."Hi Taylor. It seems my review may have upset you in some way. I'm responding point-by-point to your comment below in the hope that by being more direct and thorough this may clear up any confusion.
Communicating tone of conversation is virtually impossible through a keyboard, so please know that I'm responding with sincerity and respect; nothing I say below should be read as being in an angry, harsh, or disrespectful tone.
Point-by-point response:
[Expletive deleted] grow up.
How so? By accepting swear words as right? I'll briefly address this point below. Or by endorsing sexual immorality? My view of sexuality comes from the Word of God, who created sex. Since He created it, He sets the restrictions and rules for it (Mark 10:7-9). Homosexuality goes directly against God's design for sex and therefore is a sin (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). I cannot endorse homosexual lifestyles anymore than I can endorse stealing or lying.
People swear.
Yes, sadly, many people do swear, which is displeasing to their Creator (Ephesians 4:29; James 3:8-10). This is why I do not appreciate swear words being in books.
People have sex
Indeed. Sex is a wonderful and beautiful thing when kept within the God-given bounds of marriage between one man and one woman for life (Mark 10:7-9; 1 Corinthians 7:3). Any sexual activity outside of these biblical parameters is sinful (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).
(it's literally in the Bible!)
Yes, sex is literally discussed in the Bible but never in an explicit manner. The Bible has much to say about sex (as can be learned through the verses listed below). One important aspect of this: The only time sex is described negatively in the Bible is in the context of sin outside of biblical marriage (Proverbs 5; Matthew 5:28; 1 Corinthians 6:9,18). All other references to sex are positive, celebrating the goodness and delight in the intimacy God meant sex to be (Proverbs 5:18; Song of Solomon; 1 Corinthians 7; Hebrews 13:4).
The Bookshop, however, promotes sexual sin by displaying it as positive and acceptable, which is in direct contrast to how the Bible discusses sexual sins. Trying to justify sexual immorality by saying "it's... in the Bible" is an invalid argument, as you've knowingly or unknowingly taken Scripture out of context.
Stay in your bubble
So, you really aren't being inclusive and open to diverse beliefs, are you? I don't say this lightly, but your statement proves just how arbitrary and inconsistent your secular worldview is. You'll tell me to "[s]tay in [my] bubble" because you think my views are unacceptable — but what standard of judgement do you base this on? According to your worldview, why can't I tell you the same thing: to stay in your bubble? (I would never say this to you for real, though, just using it as an example.)
Ultimately, your worldview has no basis for truth or absolute morality with which to define what is right and wrong; therefore, your comment is contrary to your belief system. Only those who believe the Bible have a basis for absolute morality because God is both the truth (John 14:6) and the source of all truth.
and read your little puritan books if you're afraid of the word crap.
Well, actually I'm not afraid of the word crap. :-) I just don't appreciate when people use of it as a swear word (which goes back to the verses I listed regarding swearing).
It seems, Taylor, that you're already somewhat familiar with the Bible. I encourage you to dig deeper into the Bible and see for yourself what it says about sexuality, what right and wrong are, and what sin is. It's good that you have a passion for standing up to things you feel are wrong, which is something I hope you continue to do (this ultimately shows that in your heart of hearts you know that God exists [Romans 1:20-21]). But you need to understand what is right and wrong and have a basis for it: the Bible — which is authored by God, the supreme Law Giver, and is the only basis for absolute morals. Apart from the Bible, any stand for right or wrong is futile.
More so than anything, though, I hope that this response will challenge you to get into the Bible and that your search of the Scriptures will be profitable for eternity. The Word of God contains the good news of Jesus Christ, the remedy for sin, the only hope for eternity. God, in His Word, has set forth the words of salvation and eternal life in numerous places. May I suggest that you consider the truth of God and His Word, and consider His gift of salvation and restoration from sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. Please see the following Goodreads page which contains a link to a thorough explanation of the Gospel message: https://www.goodreads.com/user_status....
Remember that you are a human being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). You have worth, you have value. Find your most fulfilling and eternal identity in Jesus Christ. He only is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
Have a wonderful day!
Benjamin wrote: "omg gay people like books I'm crying how could they do such a thing"Responding to your comment point-by-point for clarity:
omg gay people like books
Uh... no one said they didn't. 🤷🏼
I'm crying how could they do such a thing
Oh, I quite agree. It's distressing how nasty people can be in the comments section these days, isn't it?
Eric wrote: "Great satire"Zero percent (0%) of this review is satire.
Elijah! wrote: "Great review!"Thanks, Elijah!
Chlo wrote: "This was a great review, and I so appreciate you taking the time to write it up!! It's very helpful!"Thanks!
You're welcome. I'm very glad it was helpful!
Noel wrote: "Great review."Thank you!
It's such a bummer that it had that kind of content. Your review was helpful. I'll be removing it from my tbr
I'm sorry it had this content I hope your next read is cleaner
Abby (Reader of Clean Books) wrote: "It's such a bummer that it had that kind of content. Your review was helpful. I'll be removing it from my tbr"Yep, 100% agreed.
Glad my review was informative and helped you make an informed decision about this book!
Jaida wrote: "I'm sorry it had this content I hope your next read is cleaner"Thanks. I hope so, too.
