WE STAND IN SOLIDARITY: SHOP LOCAL 

​As an emergency response to COVID-19, Liberation Library is doubling the number of books we send to incarcerated youth in Illinois.  Young people in the jails and prisons we serve are experiencing a loss of programming and in-person family visits, leading to further isolation during these uncertain times. We believe it is now more important than ever for incarcerated young people to have access to other worlds of their choosing.

While we previously offered an Amazon wishlist for our donors, we have now partnered with five Chicago bookstores to engage in mutual aid with these important community businesses, while standing in solidarity with Amazon workers who are currently carrying out safety strikes for safe and sanitized working conditions. You can learn more about the workers’ demands here. 

For more ways to donate to Liberation Library, or to donate books from your local bookstore, click here.  
Liberation Library Steering Committee Members  working one by one to still pack and ship books to our readers.

OUR PARTNERS 
In order to send books at an increased rate, we ask that you purchase gift cards from our local bookstore partners so we can restock our inventory and engage in mutual aid with our local bookstores.

BUCKET O' BLOOD BOOKS

Bucket O'Blood Books & Records has been open since 2010 and specializes in new and used genre fiction, with a particular emphasis on horror, science fiction, and fantasy. In addition, they carry new and used vinyl records, graphic novels, and DVDs/blu rays.

OPEN BOOKS

Open Books is a nonprofit that provides literacy experiences for tens of thousands of readers each year through inspiring programs and the creative capitalization of books. 

PILSEN COMMUNITY BOOKS

Pilsen Community Books is a worker-owned and operated radical bookstore in the heart of Chicago's beloved Pilsen neighborhood. PCB specializes in literary fiction, used and antiquarian books, and books on social justice, but has a large selection of books in a variety of topics. They host radical programming and literary events year round. 

SEMICOLON BOOKS

Chicago's only black woman-owned bookstore and gallery space, Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery is committed to nurturing the connection between literature, art, and the pursuit of knowledge; while also using the power of words to better our community. ​

SEMINARY CO-OP BOOKSTORES

The Seminary Co-op Bookstores, Inc. comprises two independent bookstores, The Seminary Co-op Bookstore and 57th St. Books. Founded in 1961 and 1983 respectively, the stores are located in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and cater to the literary interests of the greater South Side community. Both stores are unique and valued places of discovery, cultural institutions where browsing and conversation are nurtured. In 2019, the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, Inc. became the country’s first not-for-profit bookstores whose mission is bookselling.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST BOOKSTORE

Women & Children First believes in the transformative power of literature. As intersectional trans-inclusive feminists, they believe books are tools for liberation. Since 1979, they have celebrated and amplified underrepresented voices. In order for feminism to remain relevant, it must be forever evolving.

News About Our Local Bookstore Campaign 

Chicago Tribune:
Column: In Pilsen and far beyond, indie bookstores carry on in the pandemic. You can help.
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Publisher's Weekly:
COVID-19 Updates: Special Offers, Events and Discounts

Shelf Awareness:
April 14th 2020, IBD's New Date; Liberation LIbrary; Libro.fm's Socks & Booksellers; Relief Funds 
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