As you know, I’ve been talking about Calle Libro, the first English language bookstore that’s opened in Havana since the revolution. While they’re wildly popular, like many businesses in Cuba, they do not have the funds to buy books. So, for those of you who want to help, whether you’re planning a trip yourself or just want to send new or “gently used” books, following is their wish list.
Books
• Bilingual English-Spanish Dictionary (we need as many of these as you can carry – we’re trying to donate enough for the local primary school’s 5th and 6th grade class)
• Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
• Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien
• Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
• 10000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne
• Complete Works, Edgar Allan Poe (Or Anything by him)
• Treasure Island, R.L. Stevenson
• Double Life of Deacon Brody, R.L. Stevenson
• Walden, Thoreau
• Freefall, Joseph E. Stiglitz.
• The little Prince, Antoine de St-Exupery
• Time Out Film Guide (2009 or later)
• The Prophet, Kahil Gabran
• Rolling Stone, Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll
• Peoples History of the United States, Howard Zinn
• Howl, Allen Ginsberg
• On the Road, Jack Kerouc
• The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe
• 451 Farenheit, Ray Bradbury (Or Anything by Him)
• 1984, George Orwell
• Charlotte’s Web, E.B.White
• Stuart Little, E.B.White
• Dude, where is my Country? Michael Moore
• Mountains beyond Mountains, Tracy kidder
• Sartre on Cuba, Sartre
• I Hear Men Talking, Meridel Le Sueur
• My Lucky Stars, Shirley Maclaine
• It’s All in the Frijoles, Yolanda Nava
• Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
• Quiet, Susan Cain
• Future Shock, E Toffler
• Talking to Fidel, Peter Kornbluh
• World Guide, New Internationalist
• Empire, Tony Negri
• Adios Muchachos, Daniel Chavarria
• Letters from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King
• Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware
• Memorias del Fuego, Eduardo Galeano
• Better, Atul Gawande
• Complications, Atul Gawande
• Cocktail Time in Cuba, Basil Woon
• Buena Vista in the Club, Geoff Baker
• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
• Auto/Biographies (of any type; Cubans love them)
• James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
• Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (or anything by him)
• A Bargain for Frances (or anything from Frances series), Russell and Lillian Hoban
• Accounting Texts
Magazines
We prefer annual Subscriptions; you can send them to: Conner Gorry, Apartado 6464, Habana 6, 10600, Cuba.
• Good
• Cooks Illustrated
• Outside
• Rolling Stone
• Sports Illustrated
• Granta
• Wired
• Stone Soup
• Art News
• Art in America
• Downbeat
And here is how to get the books to them:
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re always looking for quality books and magazines for Cuba Libro, where experience has shown a collaborative, ‘kindness from friends/strangers’ approach can work wonders.
There are two ways to get books to us: send them to the PO box in Havana Conner has kindly let us use for the moment… or have someone bring them in their luggage the next time they come. Since sending books via either mechanism can be expensive and given that we do not necessarily accept any and all books, we suggest you send us a list of what you’d like to donate before jumping through all the hoops to get them here.
Mailing address
Conner Gorry
Apartado 6464
Habana 6
10600
CUBA
Note: the box should include ONLY books or magazines.
Address of Cuba Libro to drop off books:
Calle 24, corner Calle 19
Vedado, Havana