The Future of New York Revolution Books

The following letter was sent out by Revolution Books, New York:

December 28, 2008
Dear Friends,

Looking forward to 2009 I write with a sense of urgency, mission and possibility about Revolution Books. The future of the store hangs in the balance. In 2008, the bookstore overcame a major crisis when faced with the necessity to move from 19th Street. With the support of hundreds of people we created an incredible new store at 146 West 26th Street that has in 6 months begun to emerge as a new revolutionary center of inquiry and ferment—a place where most nights of the week a wide range of people are engaged in dialogue about why the world is the way it is and the possibility for a radically different future.

This really matters. Never before have so many understood that the planet itself is in peril from the workings of capital; never before has production been so global with the capacity to meet the basic needs of all of humanity; never before have so many known of the vast depredation existing amidst such obscene wealth. The world does not have to be this way. The potential for a new cooperative world where all of the world’s people could flourish stands in stark relief to the wars, torture, brutality, deprivation and the dog-eat-dog ethos of capitalism.

Engaging THIS is the mission of Revolution Books, and there is no other place like it. Yet, as we begin the New Year, the survival of the store is uncertain. The cost of running a retail operation in the middle of Manhattan and the changes in the book world (including the acute crisis facing independent bookstores)—all this presents major hurdles. Revolution Books’ continued financial viability requires that we raise $30,000 by March.

Our immediate crisis is, to a degree, born of some real progress—we have doubled the number of professors who order books for their courses from Revolution Books which requires that we raise $10,000 over the next 2 weeks in order fulfill all the orders. Providing the books for these classes opens up vistas of revolutionary thought and critical thinking for hundreds of students—over the past 6 months we have spoken in scores of college classes, and professors have brought their students to the store.

But to be honest, a big part of our current need derives from our being consumed with getting the new store up and running, and neglecting to involve you and all of the people who recognize the importance of Revolution Books, in financially sustaining and supporting the store.

What goes on at Revolution Books is unique: discussion, film, performance and the books that engage the big issues of our time—science and critical thinking; atheism, religion and morality; the wars for empire, the financial crisis; and deep engagement with the experience and theory of revolution and communism. Libros Revolución fills a great void in NYC providing books and programs in Spanish.

When people step into this store they have a living sense that they are in a place alive with revolution. This audaciousness is grounded in the work of Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, who, building on the liberatory achievements of the first socialist revolutions while rupturing with the shortcomings of that experience, has developed a new synthesis of communism that provides a more scientific foundation for revolution and envisions a radically different world. He has forged a new framework for an emancipatory communism and strategic conception for how to get there. We should talk about this—without engaging this new understanding, the possibility for fundamental radical change in the world is far diminished. Such are the stakes in making sure that Revolution Books not only survives, but thrives.

Revolution Books is making a real difference now and needs to make a much bigger impact over the next year. We have ambitious plans to crack open debate on the most vexing questions facing humanity. We are working on a new web site that can make Revolution Books much more accessible—providing books, programming and vital information to a wide audience. Dozens of professors at CUNY, NYU, Columbia, Baruch and the New School currently order their course books and send students to the store; we aim to make it 100 professors by the Fall semester.

We need to brainstorm with you and others to figure out how Revolution Books can reverberate throughout the arts community, academia, and across society.

For the future,

The future of Revolution Books will be decided in the coming months. Support this irreplaceable bookstore by making a Year-end Contribution and becoming a SUSTAINER of Revolution Books.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT REVOLUTION BOOKS:

“For those who wish to read the dissenting view, the uncensored analysis, the truth about their country and the world, the existence and viability of Revolution Books is absolutely essential.”

— PROF. JOHN GERASSI, Political Science, Queens College and Graduate Center

“There is an African proverb that asserts, ‘When a griot dies, it is like a library has been destroyed.’ Revolution Books is like a thousand griots—and to lose it would be to witness the disappearance of a village of libraries. In my political development, it has been an indispensable tool and companion.”

— HERB BOYD, journalist, Amsterdam News, Essence; author, Baldwin’s Harlem:
A Biography of James Baldwin

“Revolution Books is one of my favorite bookstores in New York City. Whether you’re a revolutionary or simply a reader who believes books really matter for the health of a community, you need to know about this store—one of the last great independents in Manhattan, a brilliant, exciting, and wonderfully eccentric collection of books old and new, forgotten and front-page, radical and revelatory…a vital institution.”

— JEFF SHARLET, contributor, Rolling Stone and Harper’s; author The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

“In traveling around the country for readings at bookstores, it has become evident that Revolution Books presents a whole different level of engagement. I have learned much from the audiences here….”

— DR. SUE WICKLUND, This Common Secret: My Journey As an Abortion Doctor

“The Rev has New York’s biggest and most outstanding radical collection of books, leaflets and journals. You’ll find bookshelves devoted to Lenin, Mao and Marx, many books in español, as well as cute red-star earrings.”

—Lonely Planet New York City (City Guide)

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