No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller

This book made me cry, smile, and want to learn more. How amazing to have a great uncle who was so instrumental in helping his fellow Black men and women not only learn how to educate themselves, but he also spread the amazing works of Black Americans. Louis had a younger life that we cannot even imagine. Full of pain, and loss. And yet he chose to rise above this, and do something so valuable, and so enriching for himself and his neighbors. This book made me seek out to learn more about Malcolm X. What an amazing man himself.This book is a must read for everyone! And I hope especially young people reach out and get this book. So fun to read, and so fulfilling.

I just introduced this book to a class of 6th-graders in Harlem, for whom it is, of course, local history. I told them that some of the people in the book are the protagonist's family and friends but that others are famous people. A good sign that someone is the latter is the kids' recognizing their name as one of a park or street: e.g., Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hug a book so badly after I finished reading. (I guess I could’ve hugged my iPad.)NO CRYSTAL STAIR is absolutely AMAZING and utterly INSPIRING. This book literally has me thinking about what I can do to make this world a better place. Powerful. I LOVED IT!

We hear about the Civil Rights movement, the Memphis riots, bussing but this is the other side of the same coin. How one man prevailed against the odds, the prejudices and culture of the time to become a success story. I am thankful to Vaunda Micheaux Nelson for writing it and that our Bookclub chose to read it. I read most of the book over long haul international flights across the Pacific. The book held my attention a lot longer than the movies on board. Nelson chose to use the first person in her narrative by allowing each character to speak his/her feelings and thoughts for him/herself.It was indeed a tour de force and the writer used the device of some imaginary characters to fill in the gaps. In the author's notes at the end of the book the writer lists the many obstacles she had to overcome such as missing dates and other documents. Nelson admits that she only visited the Bookstore once when she was 14 but did not realize its significance back then. Years later she was to become an award winning writer and children's librarian herself.She brings the characters to life and I'm sure if I had met Lewis in person I would have been impressed by him and would want to visit his bookstore and listen to the discussions taking place.

This is a well written and very informative book. I learned a lot!

A fantastic book and a great perspective on the civil rights movement! One of my favorites for sure.

An Addition to my Library

This is a look at the life of bookseller Lewis Michaux. He was the founder and owner of the iconic National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem, NY. The bookstore was in business for 40 years and was often the site of many of Malcolm X's speeches. The store was distinct for its collection of books by, for and about African people. This at a time when publishing of black authors was minimal. So to amass the kind of collection he did took a lot of dedication.This book is a YA fictionalized biography of Lewis Michaux. By using this format, we get snippets from his life journey, and there are obvious parts of the story that cry out for depth. However, there is enough here to make this an enjoyable read, and to give you a sense of the man. Hopefully the existence of this YA version will lead to a fuller biography of Lewis Michaux.

主人公ルイスの幼少時代から、彼自身や周りの人々が一人称で語りながらルイスの成長や時代の変化を追っていく形式。平坦な言葉で読みやすかったです。読み進めながら、精神病を患ったルイスの母親が語る部分など、本人に直接聞いた記録ではないものがかなり入っているのでは？と途中で気づきました（あとがきに執筆経緯が説明されています）。正確にはノンフィクションのドキュメンタリーというよりは、フィクション要素の強い物語として読んだ方がいい、ということで納得がいきましたが、マルコムXとの交流、ハーレム・ルネッサンスにおけるルイスやルイスの書店の役割といった、歴史的事実を学ぶこともでき、市民権運動時代の黒人たちを知るうえで非常に有意義な読み物だと思います。Kindle版でしたが、写真やニュース記事も掲載されており、非常に興味深かったです。National Memorial African Bookstoreは、私自身が生まれた時期（1970年代）にはまだ存在していたという事実、ルイスのこと、マルコムのこと、キングのことを、今も覚えている人が実在しているという事実を考えると、人種差別と闘いながら、「黒人に本を読ませて自分たちの歴史を知ってもらう」という使命を果たすという、はるか昔のことのように思えるルイスの生きた時代も、案外最近のことであったと気づかされます。社会の進歩に驚くと同時に、この時代の人々の努力の結果を無駄にしないよう、人種の平等や教育の大切さを訴え続ける必要性も、ひしひしと伝わってきました。