No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

If you’re like me, you had no idea who Lewis Michaux was and that is sad because he was a driving force for educating Blacks in Harlem. Born to a small business owner in Newport News, VA in the late 1800s, he was floudering. He knew that he wanted to get ahead but had no real direction.

He was outspoken about how Blacks would get nowhere unless they knew their heritage. He was entranced by Marcus Garvey’s beliefs about Blacks going to Africa to learn their culture. After years of this and that, he decided to open a bookstore in Harlem dedicated to Black authors and Black heritage. This was at a time when people thought Blacks didn’t read, so he had a hard time getting financing. He ultimately started his bookstore and named it the National Memorial African Bookstore, after his evangelical brother’s unsuccessful campaign to entice Blacks to move to Virginia and learn farming. It was located on 125th Street and Seventh Avenue and, over the years, it became a destination for Black activists such as Malcolm X.

No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller was a labor of love and it is evident throughout the work. Michaux’s great-niece, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (a Coretta Scott King award winner) is the author of this marvelous work, enhanced by the artwork of R. Gregory Christie. She combed archives, conducted interviews, sifted through library collections to try to obtain information about Michaux’s life.

Each chapter is broken down into snippets narrated by various people including Lewis, his brother Lightfoot, other relatives, customers and friends. It provides wonderful insight to both Lewis and the times in which he lived. The writing is descriptive. The story is uplifting. Lewis was true to himself in the life that he lived…he walked the walk and talked the talk. The accolades of this book are well deserved. So, sit down, enjoy this book and learn something in the process.