Using Books as Medicine

By Royal Star/Kokayi Nosakhere At 2 pm, three days before the 2024 Kwanzaa holiday began, I did it again. I have a habit. It is such an obsession, I am forced to confess my failings to resist it multiple times a week on social media. Because I am a nerd, I like books. READING! No, let me be clear. I like reading. Books just happen to be my favorite way of reading. As a life hack, I search out used bookstores near colleges and universities. The reason why should be obvious: the quality of books. For me, the commercial market can not compete with books published in certain time periods by those who lived through those time periods. The closer to a diary, i.e. primary document, the better. Meaning, grandma’s letters about the Great Depression are more valuable to me than a professor’s summary of the Great Depression, even if the professor is weaving in all of the angles: political, economic and social. For my standards, Smith Family Bookstore is a gem. It is located in the railroad tracks...