Global Language Reads in Port Jefferson brings diversity and culture to its bookshelves
By Julianne Mosher
Inside Global Language Reads, the maroon-colored walls are home to shelves filled with different books. There are novels varying from classic writers like Charles Dickens to true crime, local authors and historical fiction. There’s a shelf of Oliver Sacks’ best sellers and a room dedicated to solely to children’s books in the back.
It just opened in November, but GLR is already a special oasis that brings the feel of a small, family-owned book shop to Port Jefferson village. But what makes this spot different compared to some other local bookstores is the variety of different languages and cultures they bring to the table. Owner Caterina Lemos Cunha said that many of the books on site are not just sold in English, but are also available in more than a dozen different languages.
Offering a many different services, classes and events, the goal of GLR is to bring readers together through game nights, language classes and debate teams, while creating an environment that welcomes everyone and anyone — no matter what you speak.
With her three children, Cunha was living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn working as a scientist specializing in neuroscience. Using her background in research, she decided to start writing children’s books surrounding different types of science with her (little) free time. Cunha would often interview women scientist, disseminate the information into simpler terms and create a story surrounding that science featuring the main character, Alicia (named after her youngest daughter).
Alicia has more than a dozen stories — she learned about rainbows, fireworks, spiders and mental health, and each book offers a science experiment or recipe that kids can do with their families when they’re done reading. Cunha wanted to break down science and make it easy to digest for kids.
“I try to highlight women because sometimes we get forgotten,” Cunha said. “And then we translate them and publish the stories in other languages.” Out of her 10 books, more than half are written bilingually to cater to people of all backgrounds.
Alicia’s adventures had Cunha writing for years and years with one end goal in mind.
“Our dream was always to have our own store to sell them and also sell other books,” she said. “But I was always very busy with research work.”
Cunha and her family decided to leave the city after her son, Gabriel, was killed last year and move to Port Jefferson.
“We needed a change and we kind of followed our intuition,” she said.
After visiting several empty store fronts, Cunha was introduced to 402 Main Street next door to Theatre Three. A former insurance agent, Cunha repainted the walls her late-sons favorite color and named the shop “Global Language Reads” — the same initials as his name.
“We got into the mindset of wanting to do things now in our life and not wait,” she said.
Since officially opening their doors Nov. 8, Cunha said her favorite thing so far is becoming part of the community. “So far we’ve met so many people and got to learn their stories,” she said. “That’s really the best part.”
Cunha, who was born in Portugal and raised in Germany, wanted to bring a sense of culture to her new store. While stocking the shelves with New York Times bestsellers and typical classics, she wanted to be sure to also showcase authors that other people might not know or who are not well-known in the United States.
And to cater to the rich, diverse local community, she decided to bring in authors and books in not just English but Hindu, Bengali, Arabic, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese and Mandarin. Her children’s books are also written side-by-side bilingually, too. Some genres that can be found include young adult, nonfiction, independent study, historical fiction and some science-heavy reads.
Cunha added that when she opened up the shop, she wanted to bring in different programming for people of all ages. GLR hosts weekly book clubs, game nights and will bring in local authors to talk about their writing.
“I always liked teaching and when I went into research I preferred it,” she said. “Here, too, I want to get kids excited about this and in a small, independent setting you can just come in, learn and have fun.”
The shop is open daily from noon to 9 p.m. Call 631-314-9080 or visit glrbooks.com for more information.
