Sometimes you have to leave the big squares to find hidden gems. The independent bookstore “Page Against the Machine” is a gem nestled in the coastal town of Long Beach, Southern California. We spoke with Chris Giaco, who opened it in 2019 and is its soul.
In April, it will be seven years since I opened the bookstore; before that, I had never thought of doing anything like this. I’ve always been surrounded by books: even while I was in college, I supplemented my tuition by working in a bookshop, then I was hired by large chains like Barnes & Noble and various specialty bookstores. I like books and I like reading. My other great passion is politics, and at a certain point, the two merged. Over the years, I had accumulated a small capital of underground literature; they were sought-after books that intrigued the young patrons of “inretrospect,” a vintage store where each vendor displayed their own wares, and I had set up a book stall. But the costs of the space were too high, so we closed it down, and I found myself selling online. The business wasn’t doing badly at all; however, a friend introduced me to this space, which, as you can see, isn’t very big. I liked it and said to myself, ‘At most, I’ll stay here alone, bagging books and shipping them around the United States; it’ll be like being in an office.’ And yet, Page Against the Machine is anything but deserted.
Chris’s bookstore plays a fundamental role in the community, serving as a meeting point for numerous groups denouncing the Palestinian genocide, supporting the most vulnerable members under siege by ICE, and promoting demands for democracy and respect for the society, such as motions against the war and the cuts caused by the resounding “Big Beautiful Bill” imposed by Trump on the American people.
Once a month, there’s a plenary assembly, and the shop fills with chairs and activists of all ages. Chris confesses to me that he considers activism his primary commitment, more than being a salesman. “I don’t choose the books to display by consulting specialized catalogues that photograph the market trend. I order books by thinking about which ones are worth reading, which ones can stimulate the reader to think, to build a critical conscience.”
With such an intention, what more fitting name could there be than “Page Against the Machine?” Replacing “Rage” (from the Los Angeles band “Rage Against The Machine,” which has been on the music scene since the 1990s and has been tenaciously engaged in denouncing the injustice of the capitalist system ever since) with “Page” wasn’t Chris’s idea; he “picked it” from the street. However, his research and dedication to the cause, to a culture free from commercial interests, certainly fully expresses his spirit and intuition that revolutionary resources can be found inside the written pages, at least in some of them.
For some time now, I’ve been meeting kids who are angry, sometimes furious, against their country, who level scathing criticism at the school system; they say it has defrauded them. Can you explain to me what’s happening in American society?
We grew up with the myth that we were born in the best country in the world, with the best system of government, where democracy reigned… we thought we were the model of freedom for the world. For decades, everything conspired to make us believe this. There were few television channels, and every school repeated the same things; everyone only engaged in their own environment; people were as if hypnotized inside an airtight bubble. For example, during the Iraq war, I worked, as usual, in a bookstore—it was part of a museum—and whenever I could, I tried to encourage the young people of that time to understand what was happening; but they weren’t interested in testing their beliefs, not even when I tried to scare them by threatening a world war. Today, everything is different. The kids who come to me are curious and eager for new ideas and don’t seem to suffer from the idiosyncrasies I used to see; for example, Americans were so frightened, almost traumatized, by the spectre of communism, that they were even afraid to read a book by Marx. Today, the bubble no longer holds.
What are the factors bursting the bubble?
Since Trump, everything has come to the surface, but the pot has been simmering for a while. Travel has certainly contributed to shaking up this enchanted world; every time an American leaves the country, they discover they’re not seen as a hero; having access to diverse information, for example, about Palestine and Israel, has been shocking; but more than anything, it’s in everyday life that the clash of myth and reality has become deafening. Never before has the average American perceived such a rift between what the system tells us and how we live. You leave school full of hope and enter a world where almost everything is denied you; you can’t find a decent job and can’t even dream of a mortgage. The system doesn’t work anymore; everything is unstable.
“Page Against The Machine” is the first independent bookstore I’ve come into contact with. Forgive my ignorance, but I almost thought they didn’t even exist in the United States. Tell me about this reality.
Certainly, large-scale online distribution and megastores selling everything have crushed the bookstore market, and there have been several closures, some significant ones, but recently there are some signs of a revival. Meanwhile, we’ve specialized, and readers like this: you come to me if you’re looking for a book on politics or a serious essay, but if you walk down the street, you’ll find others offering everything from cooking to childhood and gardening. In Long Beach, we have at least six independent booksellers; in Los Angeles, there are even more. Furthermore, our customers are not only scrupulous and demand a quality product, they are informed people who strive to be consistent with their values. They choose us because they reject the Amazon-like system of large portals and because they’ve understood that going back to buying a paper book is a form of freedom. Without realizing it, we’re delegating control of books and music to high-tech companies, and many people are growing tired of this dependence.
Would you like to suggest some titles for Pressenza readers?
Gladly. I can share the January “best sellers” ranking according to “Page Against the Machine” readers; after all, as I always say, customers are the co-curators of the store; I assure you, it’s true.
Mutual Aid, by Dean Spade,
1984, by George Orwell,
Create Dangerously, by Albert Camus,
Read This When Things Fall Apart, by Kelly Hayes,
A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, by Ilan Pappe
“Page Against the Machine”, though small, is meticulously designed, lacking nothing, and mysteriously never feels crowded. It occupies two rooms; in the largest one, among the shelves, there are works of art, installations, and a collection of satirical posters on power and those who have had it. There’s a bargain table and even a reading nook with two comfortable armchairs and a coffee table. There are no over-the-counter items: no gadgets or snacks.
Chris has a friendship with books, you can feel it as soon as you walk through the shop door, and it’s the first thing he said to me: “I’m a book lover.” He works with them, not exploits them. When there’s love, passion, and honesty, the world finds balance; the life that revolves around Page Against the Machine is a beautiful example of this.
