Lets talk "now". Right now, Marcus Books has the absolute largest selection of picture books, comics, novels, and non-fiction written and illustrated by/about African Americans than ANY other store in the Bay Area. The next time you think of getting a gift for a new born or a young child, consider starting there, and consider starting them young when it comes to reading for fun. The San Francisco Marcus Books store was the first to be established in 1960, and an Oakland location was opened soon after. For as long as I can remember Marcus Books has been there providing comic books for children, novels, biographies, and text books with a Black focus for college students. lBefore the days of the internet, when I was a student at SFSU you could get anything from Octavia Butler to Assata at Marcus Books, and you still can. The store held meetings, hosted authors and signings, printed their own books, and put their store and lives on the line for students who were protesting for ethnic studies at San Francisco State University. I wont go into the closing of the SF store because it involves a displacement of Black folks in SF and the Fillmore that has been going on for decades, but I will say the Oakland store is a 2 min walk from MacArthur bart and they are still open. If they don't have the comic, picture book, or novel you're looking for (focusing on African Americans) then ask them to order it. Marcus Books is landmark in Black History for the Bay Area and the country.
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