Literati Bookstore-Ann Arbor

I walked through the streets of Ann Arbor exhausted and bone numb from the thick darkness that seems to be swallowing the world right now.

Wearied by the lack of progress or justice, compassion or even basic civility in our social structures: geopolitical inertia, national political rot, workplaces that thrive on rancor and exhaustion and families that are struggling to survive let alone thrive.

The sun was shining but its yellow light glinted off overpriced Subaru’s and wrought iron tables covered with tasteless overpriced mead did nothing to brighten my mood.

I craved something real, something honest, something to connect with. I craved books.

Ann Arbor is one of the world’s truly great book cities and Literati is one of the best small shops in the world.

While not large, it has an exceptionally well curated collection of books, not surprising with its proximity to the University of Michigan and its famed writing and intellectual community. A community that nurtures and supports all of the arts, but for sure the written word.

From poetry released from small independent presses to tastefully curated best sellers from big publishing houses, Literati has something for all readers; including pre-readers with its cozy nook of gorgeous picture books.

Inside a quality book shop the din of the world outside disappears. While a great book does not necessarily provide a mindless escape or numbing experience to soothe one from the world’s coarseness, it does serve its malfeasance into encapsulated structures ensconced between two covers. Even when confronted with ideas one might find repugnant, at least one can engage with those ideas quietly, as a whisper rather than a shouting match.

Reading is always a conversation and the disagreements come in fits and spurts rather than as a torrential onslaught of vitriol.

Plus, the Literati Public Typewriter is legendary, with eloquent and thoughtful readers sharing a momentary experience, an ephemeral insight on the typewriter in the basement.

While I knew the world awaited me as I departed the haven that is Literati, I had a book in hand, therefore I had hope.

What else can one want?