Ruebén Martínez's Biography (MacArthur Foundation)

As a child, Ruebén Martínez loved to lose himself in books—quite a challenge in his hometown of Miami, Arizona, which had no library. Fortunately, two teachers in the tiny mining town regularly lent him books.

“My mother always wanted me to put down my books and clean the yard. So I would hide in the outhouse and read because no one would bother me there,” laughs Martínez, 64, the son of Mexican immigrants. Years later, it was Martínez who was lending books, and doing it in another unlikely setting: his barbershop.

After moving to Santa Ana, California, starting a family, and working various factory jobs, Martínez opened a barbershop in the 1970s. To spread his love of literature, he would bring books for his customers to borrow. Most of the “borrowed” books were never returned, so he opened Librería Martínez Books and Art Gallery—inside the barbershop. The librería (bookstore) eventually overtook the barbering business and moved in 1999 to its present Santa Ana location—with an area set off for barbering. Today, the librería carries one of the country’s largest collections of Spanish-language books, with stores in Santa Ana and Lynwood, California. The Santa Ana location has a children’s bookstore next door.

His bookstores are hubs for community meetings, cultural celebrations, book fairs, and signings by prominent authors

Recently, Victor Roman made an hour-long drive to the Santa Ana Librería Martínez from his home in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. The drive was definitely worthwhile, he says.

“I have three children—a daughter who is 13 and twin sons who are 11. It’s important to me that they get all the books they need for their studies,” the native of Mexico says. “I like the librería because everyone is friendly and everyone speaks Spanish. There is nothing else like it anywhere in the Southern California area that I know of.”

He left the store with an English-Spanish dictionary for one of his sons, and he says he’ll be back to buy books his children can read when they get home after school. Says Roman, “I’ve never met the owner, Mr. Martínez, but I think he is a wonderful person [because he gives] parents a place where they can find what they need for their children.”

But selling books is only one aspect of Martínez’s mission. He has sparked a “reading revolution” that takes him cross-country to share with students the importance of reading. His bookstores are hubs for community meetings, cultural celebrations, book fairs, and signings by prominent authors. His tireless efforts have made him a local celebrity in the heavily Hispanic areas where his stores are located.

National attention and unexpected good fortune came in fall 2004, when the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named Martínez a MacArthur Fellow, a prestigious honor that carries a cash prize of $500,000.

“The heart of the MacArthur Fellowship award process is the celebration of creative individuals in American society,” says Ray Boyer, a foundation spokesman. “Our intention is that the fellowship will enable them to continue performing the work of their own choosing. All of our recipients are individuals that, in our judgment, reflect these qualities.”

Martínez says, “The MacArthur Award made people realize that we were for real. We started out with two books, then 10, then 25. Little by little, we’ve sold over 2 million books. That’s what happens if you dare to dream.”

‘Latinos are not only reading, we’re writing very good stories, and more of us should be published’

As he walks through the aisles of the glass-front librería in Santa Ana, he straightens rows of biographies, best-selling novels, classics, travel books, self-help books, cards, and small art works. “The Latino people are readers; we just don’t know where to buy books. Our stores have shown that it’s possible to run a successful bookstore in low-income Latino neighborhoods,” Martínez says.

He pauses beside a rack of paperbacks. “We have the best books anybody could have at home. We have books by African American, Jewish, Chinese, Korean, and Cambodian authors. We want Mexican children to learn about other cultures. The 21st century is a century of languages and cultures.”

Inside his bookstore office, a worn couch shares space with an antique barber chair. “Some of my longtime customers still talk me into giving them haircuts now and then,” Martínez says. 

The walls, floor, and countertop are crammed with plaques, awards, and commendations for his efforts to promote reading. But the honor he is most proud of is his award for perfect attendance in the fifth grade. “I stayed in school because of my love of books,” he explains.

Martínez is determined to instill that love in other Latino youngsters. “I tell parents to buy books or go to the library to get books. They should make books an important part of the household. Put a book under a child’s pillow so they can wake up and read. Or read to them aloud before they go to sleep.”

Though he is a great-grandfather, Martínez has the energy and exuberance of a man half his age. “If I had stayed with my factory jobs, I would have been living a comfortable retirement now. But I chose to go on my own as a barber. Now with the bookstores, I’m going to work for the rest of my life.” He adds, “My kids think I’m crazy.”

His face lights up when he talks about plans for expansion. “We’re hoping to open 50 new stores across the country by the year 2012,” he says. He has heard from potential investors, professors, famous authors, and New York publishers. “If you’re doing good things, everybody wants to help,” he says.

He has a message for the literary elite: “Latinos are not only reading, we’re writing very good stories, and more of us should be published. Spanish-language books are going to become a bigger and bigger part of the publishing business in the next 25 years.”

Martínez will surely see to that.