Photograph: The New York Times

It feels like a lifetime, and yet just 5 minutes ago, that we woke to the surreal words spoken on the radio, ‘The World Trade Center is collapsing’.

Moments later the skies over my home in San Francisco fell silent as planes were grounded and phone lines succumbed to the pressure of family members desperately seeking news of loved ones in New York City.

In a matter of minutes, thousands of innocent lives perished in a senseless act of terrorism that ushered in an era of confusion, fear and ultimately war.

20 years later, the families of the victims in the towers are still coming to terms with their unimaginable loss on that clear September morning, while a new generation is trying to understand why we continue to wage battle in far-flung countries, and millions of Muslims around the world continue to be stigmatized by the nefarious actions of a handful of men.

It will be up to the historians of the future to judge, but our hopes of emerging stronger, wiser and kinder from the debris and trauma of that fateful morning are rapidly dwindling.

As we pause to remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, we must consider the possibility that after 20 years of retaliation it is now time for reparation.

Mistakes have been made, lessons are still being learned, but this is our opportunity to make a change and truly honor the victims through actions and policies that promote peace and discourage strife.

That is what they - and the world - deserve, and what this anniversary demands.

It is easy to forget how fortunate we are and how the freedoms and rights we take for granted remain elusive to so many.

Yesterday, as images of desperate men jumping onto moving planes and devastated women buying burqas flooded our screens and sent a chill down our spines, the tragedy of Afghanistan revealed not only the utter despair of a people who had dreamt of so much more, it also put into stark relief our own good fortune of living in a democracy where we need not fear for the lives of our sons and daughters.

But our good fortune is only one side of the coin; the other is our obligation.

The political scramble to justify the chaos of the present with the mistakes of the past is all too quickly leading to the conclusion that 20 years in the service of creating a more democratic nation have been in vain.

Tell that to the women who were able to walk the streets on their own; to open their own businesses and speak their own minds. Tell that to an entire generation of girls and young women who were once again allowed to go to school. And tell that to the fathers, husbands and brothers who could proudly watch them do it all.

The response to the failure of Afghanistan cannot be to turn our backs on future challenges. It must be to accept and learn from our mistakes in order to do better. We must resist the urge to find all resistance futile, as that is how we allow despots the triumph they crave.

The people of Afghanistan trusted us, believed in us and in many cases helped us, and as we watch the doors close and darkness descend we cannot forget that being on this side of the door demands action.

We may not be able to help everyone, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. It is our duty, our obligation, to show gratitude for the fact that we are where we are, in the safety of our homes, by helping the Afghans who put their lives on the line to help us do our job, and who are now staring into the abyss.

We owe them that.

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As we return to our events schedule, stay tuned for an evening on the topic of the state of the world 20 years after 9/11, including a look at the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and their effects on US foreign policy. Date TBA.

The literary reckoning with the war in Afghanistan has also begun. A few interesting books making their way to our shelves in the next few days are 'The Afghanistan Papers : A Secret History of the War' by Washington Post reporter Craig Whitlock and
'The American War in Afghanistan' by Carter Malkasian.

We look forward to seeing you at the shop!
Isabella and the staff of Books & Company

We were back on Monocle Radio on Sunday chatting with Tyler Brülé about summer books and magazines - and reminiscing about that wonderful evening a few weeks back where we had the pleasure of hosting Tyler and his team for the launch of the gorgeous Monocle Book of Homes.

Check out the episode here: Monocle on Sunday The conversation begins at 28:47.

We all know that wherever we end up spending our summer holiday we will need a good stack of books to keep us company.

So it is (finally) time to start filling your beach bag, suitcase, bike basket OR your favorite Books & Company tote with books to enjoy in the lazy hazy summer ahead.

As a fun holiday option we are offering to put together book packages - for children and adults - and we are happy to curate a selection according to genres, interests, age etc., and since we all need a bit of summer fun we will throw in a surprise book with each package ordered.

So feel free to get in touch and we will get the book ball rolling.

We look forward to hearing from you!

An exciting first for us at Books & Company was an interview this past Sunday May 9 with editor-in-chief of Monocle Magazine, Tyler Brûlé.

We had a nice chat on life in a bookshop as well as book and magazine recommendations.

Check it out here: Monocle on Sunday The conversation begins at 27:46 .

Dear friends,

In just a few hours Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States of America, bringing to an end what has arguably felt like the longest four-year term in history.

With a to-do list unprecedented in size and scope, it will be a challenge for the incoming administration to not stumble as they hit the ground sprinting.

The past four years with a divisive, deceitful, and uniquely self-serving president, have emphasized the greatest challenges facing President-elect Biden; the glaring inequality and disenfranchisement that has resulted in social and racial unrest, a Covid-19 death toll of over 400.000 and the millions of Americans who believe the election was fraudulent.

Four years ago we watched in disbelief as Donald J Trump took an oath he had no intention of upholding. We watched as the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ entered the stage and slowly but surely started dismantling all that had been built. And for a while there it looked like the houses were made of sticks and of straw.

So he huffed and he puffed, and he (almost) blew the house down. 

Now the wolf is gone and the house, while still standing, is in dire need of repair. Except this time it will have to be with bricks, and the mortar must come from a more inclusive, more equal society; a less polarized nation where the shrill voices of power-hungry politicians and fringe movements are drowned out by a majority voice for the common good. 

America, and indeed the world, will be watching as the man who has himself come back time and time again from the brink of personal tragedy and political failure, seizes this immense opportunity, matched only in magnitude by the challenge, to bring back the country not to its former glory but forward to a more glorious future. 

As we carefully open up the shops, I can’t help but think about the interesting experiences and important lessons we as small businesses have accumulated over the past year.

At the top of our list - right after the support of customers - comes the support (emotional and tangible) of other small business owners. Sharing ideas, likes and social media posts as well as driving business to each other has made us all feel less lonely and more important as real contributors to an increasingly unreal world.

Check out our instagram for some of the cool and amazing businesses that have kept us smiling throughout.

Looks like takeaway is here to stay, so we are back to delivery / pick up with a twist.

Get in touch to order/ ask for suggestions, and we will get your books ready for you. But we need more fun than that!

So instead of extra soy sauce, we suggest adding a surprise book for just 25,- Consider it your fortune cookie.

Thank you to Jonas Smith for the awesome illustration :-)