It was 09:30 on a Friday morning. The air was crisp, with the first fallen leaves of autumn crunching underfoot. As I walked briskly down the street, the sun darted through a gap between two tall city buildings. My eyes followed the beam — streaking across the dusty pavement, glancing off an overfilled bottle bin, ricocheting across the road, bouncing from one car to the next, getting caught, tangled up in the leaves of a tree — only to splinter into fragments across a large window. I looked at the dappled green sign above the glass, "Books From Below". Across from it read, "Radical Books, Printed Goods, Coffee and Teas".
I paused, wondering what did it mean to be truly 'radical'? What makes a book 'radical'? Is there such a thing as a 'radical' or 'unradical' piece of literature? My brain full of questions, I straightened my scarf and went into the shop.
To my surprise, the noise and chaos of the outside world immediately faded. I was met with a calmness rarely experienced in my neurodivergent mind. I looked around — the place was spacious and gave my brain room to breathe. It was beautifully laid out in a considered, balanced manner. The white walls made the books on shelves speak for themselves, all lined up one after the other, little pops of colour. There was a simple table in the centre with more books arrayed and a second-hand section at the back which curved around the contours of the room. There was a quiet café to the left, which sold a variation of different vegan bakes.
Curious, I paused again, how could a calm, tranquil book shop like this be 'radical'? Where are the banners, the drums, the calls for change? Where are the chants, the yells from the rooftops, the protests?
I greeted the two owners, Rob and Ben. Sitting down in a comfy chair next to the window, I asked what the term 'radical' meant to them. Rob replied, "we are broadly using that to mean 'anti-capitalist', 'to the left of liberal' politics and that can be anything from anarchist to marxist and much else".
That certainly sounded radical. However, glancing at the merchandise on sale, I inquired about how it could be seen potentially to weaken their anti-capitalist stance. Ben, with a background in graphic design, played a role in curating the space and the shop’s Instagram page. "I do a lot of design stuff", he said, "we give tote bags and T-shirts for donations over certain amounts. Being able to design and physically create that stuff was really cool for me. It made it feel very tangible as a project".
...you can’t live outside of a society and everyone lives under capitalism.
I noted that as two Marxists their radicalism must be undermined by profiting from books, tote bags and T-shirts; however, Rob had a very apt response, "you can’t live outside of a society and everyone lives under capitalism. We are a CIC [Community Interest Company], so the money largely that makes a profit is generally reinvested back into the business to expand events…we need money to live and reproduce the bookshop itself…but also, we are conscious about the money that we produce and where it goes after that and what kinds of things we invest in. Like projects, ideas and communities."
I quickly understood. The tote bags and T-shirts were all part of a thought-out marketing strategy, to spread the word about a space which exists to help communities. Thus, despite being restricted by the society it critiques, the shop still lives by its values, as profits fund events, festivals, projects and those in need. Also gaining money from a crowdfunding process, the shop has been brought about by the people, for the people. Ben described the local support, "it really validated our sense that this is something that we didn't just miss but that it's been missing for quite a lot of people."
So 'radical' is a fluid, exciting term. It can mean challenging the status quo, questioning capitalist society, helping the people; however, this only sparked more questions in me. I wanted to understand just how important radical bookshops are and what impacts they have on society.
I asked what inspired them to open a radical bookshop in Newcastle, Rob's response was "there just wasn't one here and that seemed like such an important thing to be missing from the city". This is certainly true; with Newcastle’s history of ship building and coal mining, it has strong left-wing roots. For a place famous for industry and revolution, the absence of a radical, left-wing bookshop was surprising.
...they’re really important places for political education and disseminating radical ideas.
Rob noted the importance of having radical bookshops in such an industrial city and how "they’re really important places for political education and disseminating radical ideas". The bookshop becomes a place where people meet for the sharing and learning of thoughts, and perspectives, "a hub basically, for community".
As well as helping causes in need, radical spaces like Books From Below are essential for learning about society. This is a space where questions are asked, opinions are discussed, and ideologies are shared. Perhaps to be 'radical' does not always mean loud defiance, the waving of banners, beating of drums or shouts from the rooftops. Perhaps the simple acts of questioning and communicating are 'radical' in themselves. Therefore, spaces like this hold extra significance; they give people the opportunity to question society in a safe, open environment.
As I scanned the rows of books, bold and defiant titles called to me: Ramping Up Rights, by Charlton-Dailey, Gender Heretics by Rebecca Jane Morgan, Black Against Empire by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin. Each book had been deliberately selected with thought and consideration. The shelves became a beautifully curated display of ideas from people across all countries, religions, genders, and backgrounds. As Rob put nicely, Books From Below was to give voice to "the people at the margins – whose voices you might not hear".
Questioning and voicing our ideas are important, but at the centre of radicalism is the act of listening. It is the placing of prejudices, assumptions and dismissive thoughts aside, taking a pause and actively engaging with what other people have to say. To observe, listen, reflect, and question whether society is always right. Consequently, Books From Below is not simply a building where books are bought and sold. The space becomes a conversation between marginalised communities. Whether gay, trans, neurodivergent, Black, Muslim, or part of another community they are given a space to be listened to.
Ben built on this further, "I think one thing we have observed about Newcastle is that the left in general is quite fractious" he stated, "but I think somewhere like this makes opportunities to bring different people together and gel some confusion around collective struggles". It becomes a place of unity under one roof.
Radicalism, therefore, can be loud. It can be defiant. It can be bold. However, spaces like Books From Below approaches radicalism in a different way. Sometimes it is the quieter approach of pausing, questioning, and giving space to listen that is more powerful.
I asked the booksellers what impact the radical act of questioning and listening could have on society. Rob responded, stating that sometimes we need radicalism to spark positive social change. They said, "because the world is not working we’re seeing the rise of the far right blaming scapegoats and minorities, whether it's Muslims, or trans people, or migrants and we need to counter that. There is a lot of misinformation. We need to counter it with an analysis of the deeper underlying structures and that is something we want to make sure everyone has access to."
...through questioning and listening, we will have a better understanding of what is truly causing society to fracture.
Perhaps, then, through questioning and listening, we will have a better understanding of what is truly causing society to fracture. By engaging with and including the voices of marginalised people, we can find new ways of thinking and discover better solutions.
Hence, positive change may come about through spaces like Books From Below. With their vast array of international literature, excellent vegan café, custom T-Shirts and tote bags, this shop promotes the power of questioning, listening, and learning across cultural divides. Perhaps if we opened our minds and listened more society may see, according to Ben, "a kind of collective politics". A unity. A new radical change. Therefore, if you are looking for a bookshop which champions the voices of silenced communities this is the perfect place. By joining their Instagram, you will also be notified of the shop’s events – from writer’s workshops, to poetry readings, author book launches, and more.
After finishing my tea and brownie, I headed back out into the street with a friendly wave. Wandering off into the beautiful autumn sunshine, I came to a final conclusion: in the political turbulence of the modern day, it is more important than ever to support these radical spaces. For sometimes it is the seemingly quietest voices which can spark the biggest change.