Jeremy Mercer

It's not often that I like a book but think the author is a bit of a jerk. But that is the case here. What Mercer seems to chalk up to some mistakes of youth, I see as a young adult with poor values. Nevertheless he did achieve something fine here. This is a very interesting portrait of the place Shakespeare & Co, the English-language bookshop in Paris, and it's owner of the last 50 or so years, George Whitman. Mercer seems to still be infected with at least one questionable value from his youth. During the whole narrative of the book, he only once mentions a woman without saying that she is beautiful. I don't know if that means that he finds all women beautiful, that only beautiful women visit (or are allowed into) Shakespeare & Co, or that he doesn't bother to even think about those who are not beautiful.… (more)

Subtitle: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co
Also published as: Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs: the Left Bank World of Shakespeare and Co.

Several bad decision derailed Mercer’s journalism career in Canada, so he ran to Paris to take a final French course and finish his degree requirements. On a rainy afternoon he took refuge in a shop near Notre Dame and discovered Shakespeare & Co. A casual invitation from a lovely young woman to join the others for “tea upstairs” eventually led to his being offered a bed in the place, something the owner, George Whitman, did for writers and other artists down on their luck. The result is this memoir of the time he spent there.

I found this very entertaining. I loved reading about his adventures scrounging for the cheapest food, picnics with friends along the Seine, the joys of free museums, and the eccentric residents of the shop, not least of which was the owner. It’s a very atmospheric read – you can smell the dusty books, hear the soft buzz of conversation, relish in the aroma of fresh baked croissants.

But, I was less enamored of the casual lawlessness, from drug use to petty theft; I just don’t find that kind of behavior “romantic.” Still, I think it’s an honest, and well-written, depiction of his time there. And I enjoyed vicariously living in Paris for those few days I was reading this. (Mercer still lives in France.)… (more)

I read this book during my summer vacation from seminary. It resonated deeply with me. I hitchhiked around the U.S. and Europe in my youth. I've always aspired to be a writer. I've made bad choices and good choices. Most of all, I didn't quite fit in at a lot of places. Mercer describes all of this masterfully.

Yet as I was reading this, I kept thinking about how it related to my seminary education. Finally, I got to this:

“You know, that’s what I’ve always wanted this place to be,” he said. “I look across at Notre Dame and I sometimes think the bookstore is an annex of the church. A place for the people who don’t quite fit in over there.”

I think those of us seeking to serve in the church need to think about how we serve those who don't quite fit into the typical established church Sunday morning service.… (more)