It began in 2018. There were no independent bookstores in the Bronx, and Brandon Montes wanted to make his community a little better. He gathered some of his old books and stood outside a deli.

“The scarcity of books really spoke volumes to me about our borough’s relationship with reading,” Montes, a Bronx native, said. 

The project is now known as the “Norwood Community Library.” Montes sets up his table once a week. He has found takers for thousands of books.

“A book’s purpose is to be read,” Montes said. “So after they’ve been read once or twice, why not pass it along to someone who’s interested in seeing that story.”

“This is me giving back to a borough I love, and also a way for all of us to be a part of a change we want to see,” he added.

The Norwood Community Library has organized food and clothing drives. Montes also fills “little free libraries” in the borough, like one at NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx.

“This is the hospital where I was born, so it was very much a full circle moment for me to contribute in my neighborhood,” he said.

Montes says his labor of love has taken on extra importance as city libraries face budget cuts.

“If we want to talk about societal needs, the library is one of those great things that can change someone’s life or it can be a life raft for someone in need,” he said.

He sees it as an extra incentive to continue lifting up his community.

“I love the Bronx. I will always love the Bronx,” he said. “And I’m happy that something small I did had such an impact in my neighborhood.”

For turning a new page in his neighborhood’s literary journey, Brandon Montes is our New Yorker of the Week.