Pearl Street in Boulder offers a lovely shopping zone with a variety of fun stores, including, most importantly, bookstores. Tucked away in the middle block is a store with a strong point of view: Left Hand Books. A small store front decorated with “Impeach Bush” signs and stickers (we wondered if they would increase in value over time), the customer knows immediately upon entering that ‘Left Hand’ isn’t about which hand do you write with, but which way your politics . It’s an expanded and opinionated version of most general store’s single “political theory” shelf.
People’s History of the United States
The volunteer working when I visited is one of the friendliest booksellers I’ve run across in awhile. Enthusiastic about the store and the stock, he immediately had four suggestions for me. We first talked about Norm Chomsky, but when I told the volunteer I was done with condemning rhetoric, regardless of whether or not I agree with it, he steered me to Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Left Hand Books has sold the most of in its history. Dee, a girlfriend who accompanied me to the store, heard Zinn speak several years ago and described the book as chronicling the untold side of American history, the version experienced by women, factory workers, minorities and immigrant labors. I took a quick peak at the last chapter “The 2000 Election,” a topic sure to get all sides heated, and found it to be opinionated (I like opinionated), but not condemning of anyone who doesn’t share the same view (so tired of condemnation). This quote from the afterword describes Zinn’s viewpoint:
But there is no such thing as a pure fact, innocent of interpretation. Behind every fact presented to the world–by a teacher, writer, anyone–is a judgment. The judgment that has been made it that this fact is important, and that other facts, omitted, are not important.
There were themes of profound importance to me which I found missing in the orthodox histories that dominated American culture. The consequence of those omissions has been not simply to give a distorted view of the past but, more important, to mislead us all about the present.
I’m looking forward to reading this book with my high schooler next year to accompany his study of “orthodox” American history.
Run as a Cooperative
The store is officially non-profit (rather than unprofitable) and is staffed by volunteers. I asked the one who helped me how he became involved. I chuckled at his typical college response “I met someone at a party.” Later he explained that he joined a very interesting conversation and wanted to learn more. What better way than a bookstore?
The website includes a “peoples history” of the store. This quote shows that what interests the patrons of Left Hand Books is a reflection of the concerns of a huge portion of our entire country, not just the left:
A handful of people put up the money, a collective was setup [in 1979], and Left Hand Books opened its doors. “At first we sold a lot of safe energy and solar energy books,” recalls Partridge. “We were also known for our international records. Then when the Central America solidarity movement was getting going, we phased into more books about Central America and sold lots of fair exchange crafts and a lot of Nicaraguan coffee. We even had a separate project for awhile wholesaling the coffee to grocery stores. Now we have more books on Green issues and what a better society would look like.”
If you’re in Boulder, stop by for good conversation and a good book.
1200 Pearl St. #10
Boulder, CO 80302
303.443.8252
Tags: alternative bookstore, Boulder, Boulder bookstore, Colorado, Colorado bookstore, cooperative bookstore, progressive politics, volunteer run bookstore
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