Brain Lair Books | Bookshop dedicated to developing empathy and building a community centered around the discussion of inclusive books. And fun.

Welcome to Brain Lair Books! A black-owned, woman-owned children's bookstore. We're in South Bend, Indiana in the Near Northwest Neighborhood Center. We partner with local schools and universities to help build an inclusive, welcoming community. We specialize in juvenile and young adult literature written by/for the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Disabled communities as well adult nonfiction about ending white supremacy, promoting anti-racism, and becoming a social activist. We can help you find the books you need.

We are open 5 days a week for in-person shopping!

Upcoming Events

BLB Octavia Butler Book Club

02/13/2023 - 7:00pm

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Staff Picks

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All This Could Be Different: A Novel By Sarah Thankam Mathews Cover Image

Unbothered: The Power of Choosing Joy By Omarion Cover Image

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The Shore: A Novel By Katie Runde Cover Image

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Queen Bee By Amalie Howard Cover Image

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My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women By 18 Afghan Women Cover Image

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I Kissed Shara Wheeler: A Novel By Casey McQuiston Cover Image

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Bundles

Holiday Storytime Bundle - Hanukkah Stories

Holiday Storytime Bundle - Christmas

Holiday Story Time - Kwanzaa Bundle

Astronaut Bundle

Black Feminist Bundle - Small

Here and Queer Bundle - Large

Love Earth's Creatures Bundle

Poetry Bundle - Small

Repro Rights Bundle - Small

Repro Rights Bundle - Large

WEEKLY BESTSELLERS

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Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto By Tricia Hersey Cover Image

Dinosaur Rap (Barefoot Singalongs) By John Foster, Debbie Harter (Illustrator), Mike Henry (Performed by) Cover Image

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The Humanity Archive: Recovering the Soul of Black History from a Whitewashed American Myth By Jermaine Fowler Cover Image

The Nickel Boys: A Novel By Colson Whitehead Cover Image

The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner By Angie Thomas, Amandla Stenberg (Foreword by) Cover Image

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Parable of the Sower: A Novel By Octavia E. Butler, Gloria Steinem (Introduction by) Cover Image

The World We Make: A Novel (The Great Cities #2) By N. K. Jemisin Cover Image

The Rabbit Hutch: A novel By Tess Gunty Cover Image

What Were the Negro Leagues? (What Was?) By Varian Johnson, Who HQ, Stephen Marchesi (Illustrator) Cover Image

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans By Kadir Nelson, Kadir Nelson (Illustrator) Cover Image

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BookPage February 2023

Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir By Iliana Regan Cover Image

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The Love You Save: A Memoir By Goldie Taylor Cover Image

The Vanity Fair Diaries: Power, Wealth, Celebrity, and Dreams: My Years at the Magazine That Defined a Decade By Tina Brown Cover Image

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A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe By Mark Dawidziak Cover Image

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YOU SO BLACK - A CELEBRATION OF BLACK STORIES 2023

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The (Young) Antiracist's Workbook: Questions for Changemakers By Ibram X. Kendi, Nic Stone Cover Image

The ABCs of Black History By Rio Cortez, Lauren Semmer (Illustrator) Cover Image

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Abolition is Love By Ware Syrus Marcus, Alannah Fricker (Illustrator) Cover Image

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Above Ground By Clint Smith Cover Image

Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction By Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight Cover Image

Against the Currant: A Spice Isle Bakery Mystery (Spice Isle Bakery Mysteries #1) By Olivia Matthews Cover Image

Ain't But a Few of Us: Black Music Writers Tell Their Story By Willard Jenkins (Editor) Cover Image

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All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson By Carole Boston Weatherford, Ashley Evans (Illustrator) Cover Image

An American Story By Kwame Alexander, Dare Coulter (Illustrator) Cover Image

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Ashes of Gold (Wings of Ebony) By J. Elle Cover Image

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The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks By Shauna Robinson Cover Image

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Barracoon Adapted for Young Readers: The Story of the Last

Baseball's Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues By Andrea Williams Cover Image

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The Beauty Trials (A Belles novel) (Belles, The) By Dhonielle Clayton Cover Image

Before I Let Go By Kennedy Ryan Cover Image

Bessie the Motorcycle Queen By Charles R. Smith Jr., Charlot Kristensen (Illustrator) Cover Image

Better than Fiction By Alexa Martin Cover Image

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Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA By Theresa Runstedtler Cover Image

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Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood By Kwame Mbalia (Editor) Cover Image

Black Boy, Black Boy By Ali Kamanda, Jorge Redmond, Ken Daley (Illustrator) Cover Image

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Black Buck By Mateo Askaripour Cover Image

Black Cake: A Novel By Charmaine Wilkerson Cover Image

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Black Candle Women By Diane Marie Brown Cover Image

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Black Chameleon: Memory, Womanhood, and Myth By Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton Cover Image

Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider By Stacy Spikes Cover Image

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Black Girls Must Have It All: A Novel (Black Girls Must Die Exhausted) By Jayne Allen Cover Image

Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments By Carell Augustus, Forest Whitaker (Foreword by) Cover Image

Black Panther: Panther's Rage By Sheree Renée Thomas Cover Image

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Black People Breathe: A Mindfulness Guide to Racial Healing By Zee Clarke Cover Image

Black Tarot: An Ancestral Awakening Deck and Guidebook By Nyasha Williams, Kimishka Naidoo (Illustrator) Cover Image

Black Women's Wellness: Your

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Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic: Neurodivergent Heroes Tell Their Stories By Marcia Brissett-Bailey (Editor), Atif Choudhury (Foreword by) Cover Image

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Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle #2) By Tracy Deonn Cover Image

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The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom By Chrissy King Cover Image

Bold Words from Black Women: Inspiration and Truths from 50 Extraordinary Leaders Who Helped Shape Our World By Dr. Tamara Pizzoli, Monica Ahanonu (Illustrator) Cover Image

Books N Bros: 44 Inspiring Books for Black Boys By Sidney Keys Cover Image

Briarcliff Prep By Brianna Peppins Cover Image

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A Broken People's Playlist: Stories (from Songs) By Chimeka Garricks Cover Image

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Butter: Novellas, Stories, and Fragments By Gayl Jones Cover Image

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Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter By Veronica Chambers Cover Image

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Chaos & Flame By Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland Cover Image

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Chaos Theory By Nic Stone Cover Image

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement By Angela Joy, Janelle Washington (Illustrator) Cover Image

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Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl By Joya Goffney Cover Image

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Crook Manifesto: A Novel By Colson Whitehead Cover Image

A Dash of Salt and Pepper By Kosoko Jackson Cover Image

Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta By James Hannaham Cover Image

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Dismissed: Tackling the Biases That Undermine our Health Care By Angela Marshall, Kathy Palokoff Cover Image

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