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Rozzie Bound creates World Cup Reading List
Co-op book shop hosting several other events this month
The consumer cooperative Rozzie Bound Bookstore is hosting a World Cup Reading List this month in honor of the incoming games in Boston and across the country.
Manager Talia Whyte said the idea was to help folks in the United States get informed on soccer, the most popular sport in the world that has had trouble gaining traction in the United States.
“We noticed in the last couple of months a lot of our customers have been purchasing books on soccer,” she said. “Things like, ‘How do you play soccer?’, ‘What is soccer?’ – things like that. So people are just realizing, ‘This major international event is happening, maybe we should actually learn about it.’ And we can see those searches in our metrics, and we thought it would be a good idea to put up a list where people can see all these books and make it easier for people to buy them.”
Whyte said they also put up a few books about Boston and Roslindale, in case any out-of-towners are staying the neighborhood and want to brush up on the local lore.
“We noticed people were searching more touristy books as well, so we put some of those in, as well as a book about Roslindale,” she said. “Just in case any of these tourists end up in Roslindale and want to learn more about our little neighborhood.”
“There is a book called ‘The Soccer Book,’ which goes into the history of soccer, as well as the key players and teams that have played in the World Cup over the last few years and the teams playing this year. We had a few books about Lionel Messi, the most famous athlete in the world, and just some more books that discuss the social history of soccer,” she said. “Not a lot of technical stuff, but just a few books talking about how soccer affects communities. We have a book from a local author, for instance, called, ‘Soccer Grannies,’ by Boston Globe Reporter Jean Duffy, about the soccer grannies from South Africa who came to the U.S. to play.”
Whyte said they are also looking at more local angles in the list.
“And of course we’re also celebrating that we have a women’s league here, the Boston Legacy, and so we have a lot of books by female soccer players like Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe, and we also have some books in Spanish,” she said. “We have a large Spanish-speaking population, and soccer is huge in Latin America.”
The Rozzie Unbound Bookstore is a community cooperative, meaning that customers are encouraged to buy shares in the business, rooting the store to the local community.
“As a cooperative, it’s our mission to be a part of the community and work with other community members and business to help support the neighborhood as a whole,” she said.
One consumer share is $100. The store is constantly hosting local events, like participating in the upcoming Hyde Park Juneteenth Celebration on June 13, the Daddy & Me Family Fun Day at the Martini Shell in Hyde Park on June 6 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and this Thursday, May 28, they are hosting renowned author Walter Mosley at 5 p.m. in a virtual setting.
The store is also doing a book drive with New Mission High School in Hyde Park. For more information, go to https://gvimes.link/newmissbook
“We’re always very busy at this little store,” Whyte said with a laugh.
The store has been going strong for about four years, and Whyte said they are looking for a new space in Roslindale so they can expand the store.
“But in order to do that, we have to be making more money, so that when the right space becomes available we can hop on it,” she said. “We’re thinking long-term, but we’re thankful that we have our community here. We recently got the Most Collaborative Business Award at the Rozzies (Roslindale Village Main Streets awards program) a couple of weeks ago, too.”
For more info on Rozziebound, go to zziebound.com/s
About the author
Jeff Sullivan Covers local news and community stories.
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