I love bookshops! That's why I dropped "Bag of Bones" (no offense to Mr. King!) down when I spotted this book at Cody's last year. The beginning of the book was quite interesting and informative because the authors wrote about the history of the bookshop itself. But . . . it seems like most of the pages from the middle of the book on were devoted to the political and social history of Berkeley. That's where it lost me. I haven't managed to finish the book since. (But planning to somewhere in time!)

Fred & Pat Cody started Cody's Books in 1956, and it has grown to be one of the most well-known bookstores in Northern California, if not the world. The book is presented in epistolary format, with letters primarily from Fred Cody to relatives. Herein, he presents a view of the trials and tribulations of running a bookstore: cramped stores, devoted (and not) employees, visits from the 'travelers,' or book reps, and many other interesting pieces of information for those of us who frequent the bookstores of the country. The letters are interwoven with narration from Pat Cody, who provides the context for the letters, as well as interesting information, such as the best-selling books for a given year. If it were only a view of what it's like to run a bookstore, it would be fascinating, but it is important to realize that not only was Cody's provided a ringside seat for the famous Berkeley riots and demonstrations, but that Fred Cody was a major participant in trying to arbitrate between the two sides. Cody's routinely gets gassed (so much so that they have ledger entries reading "Closed 1:00pm due to riots and gas"); it's windows get broken; Fred is alternately viewed as one of the hippies and one of the "establishment," depending on who he's talking to. All-in-all, it's not quite what one would expect from a bookseller's life. If you're looking for some insight into what it's like to run a bookstore, or what it was like to be right in the thick of things of Berkeley in the 60's, this is an excellent book to read. Fred Cody's writing is, in the earlier days, a bit pretentious-sounding, but that clears up quickly.Indeed, I found myself in tears when reading the last item in the book, a tribute to Fred after his death.

This great bookstore in Berkeley, Calif. is the queen of the Bay Area bookstores. It's true, the bookstore has been in the forefront of political activism - the Free Speech Movement, the Viet Nam War, and all the politically correct and groovy issues of the Left. And that's where Cody's Books fault lies. It has naively romanticized about and tacitly supported the idea of the International Communist Movement, and every Marxist-oriented cause, every leftist writer. It supported the Communist side during the struggle of the Polish workers "Solidarity" movement. It never offered a voice of support and hope for the people of Eastern Europe during the final days of the Soviet Union. Its emphasis on political correctness of Left always was and remains today, tiresome and troubling, but Cody's Books, where you seldom find the cheap remnants of Martha Stewart or Oprah, is one great bookstore.