Every weekend Brandon Montes puts out a crate full of books on East Gun Hill Road between Bainbridge and Wayne Avenues. Books come in and books go out. And it’s all for free.
On average, Montes brings 5 to 15 books each time he puts out the crate. In the morning, he chains the book crate to a small tree guard and returns at sunset, usually to an empty box or some new books.
Montes wants to address the dearth of brick-and-mortar bookstores in the Bronx and expand upon on the borough’s literary access. “We deserve a literary community. There are plenty of readers in the Bronx even though we don’t have a bookstore. It’s almost as if it’s by design that the Bronx doesn’t have a bookstore.” he said.
Though the Norwood resident calls his crate “The Norwood Community Library,” he seeks to complement the Mosholu Library and hopefully work with the staffers there, saying, “I would love to work out some co-programming. It would be great to have a book talk within the community in the future.”
Aside from libraries and college bookshops, there have been no retail bookstores located in the Bronx since the Barnes & Noble in Co-Op City closed in early 2017. An indie bookstore called The Lit Bar plans to open in the South Bronx. There are numerous libraries in the borough that provide an expansive literary network, but travelling to them can be quite a commute for some.
Montes has been working on this book exchange program since Aug. 26 and has comprised his inventory of donations from friends and family, as well as books he purchases out of pocket.
Titles have ranged from bestsellers like Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist and Alex Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X to books covering various genres, including self-help, current affairs, and health. He recently gave away 27 copies of George Orwell’s 1984, a classic novel about the dangers of censorship and appropriate in the current political climate.
Montes grew up on 184th Street and Marion Avenue in Fordham Heights but has lived in Norwood for the last 12 years. He currently resides on Tryon Avenue.
A graduate of Fordham University, he is employed as a social worker for the city Administration for Child Services (ACS) and strives to be heavily involved in the community. “Being civically engaged is something that’s important to me,” Montes noted.
Montes promotes his work through social media and is considering reaching out to publishers for donation assistance. In the meantime, he says he will continue with what he has. “I’m going to keep this going until the weather won’t let me. I don’t plan on ending anytime soon.”
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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Literacy is crucial in today’s world. This worlds future is in the hands of our children.
Mr. Montes is off to do great things. I tip my hat off to him and his journey.
Ty….
I am a professor at Manhattan College who is retiring, and I have many interesting history and Latino/a studies books that I would love to donate to this wonderful project!
Please give Mr. Montes my email address.
Julie Leininger Pycior, PhD
Professor of History
Manhattan College
Bronx, NY 10471
718-862-7436/7126
Fax: 718-862-8044
Latest book: *Democratic Renewal and the Mutual Aid Legacy of US Mexicans (Texas A&M University Press)*
Hi,
I would like to contribute books to Brandon’s noteworthy project. Please indicate his contact information.
Thank you,
Michael
Please reach out to norwoodcommunitylibrary@gmail.com
We look forward to your contribution!
BX Strong
-Brandon
Since moving back to the Fordham/University Heights neighborhood a few years ago, I have hoped someone would open an independent bookshop in the area. If I win the lottery, I’ll open one myself, complete with comfy chairs and espresso machine. In the meantime, I commend Brandon Montes and will do what I can to contribute to this worthy Norwood Community Library initiative.
Feel free to stop by on Gun Hill one weekend soon!
norwoodcommunitylibrary@gmail.com