The owner of a new multilingual bookstore that’s opened in Des Moines says his goal is to uplift underrepresented cultures.
Luis Lujan started Nos Books to highlight international authors and writers of color. Lujan says he tries to bring stories to people that bridge cultural gaps.
He says, “The story I hear all the time is, ‘You know what, my son or my daughter married somebody from a different culture. I have grandchildren now. What do you have that I can sit down and read with them?'”
Lujan says he wanted to create diverse bookshelves to reflect a diverse city. He keeps space on the shelves for things like Spanish language translations and international prize winners. Lujan says some people who are marginalized turn to books to find a connection.
“This is who we are. We live here. We’re part of this community,” he says. “There might not be a lot of us, but we are not invisible and we are important.”
Lujan says during COVID, he saw a need for more diverse representation in bookstores. He started with pop-up stores and now has a permanent location near Drake University.
“Nos” means “us” or “we” in Spanish, a nod to his own heritage.
(By Lucia Cheng, Iowa Public Radio)