When I moved back to Venezuela after schooling in the US, there were three bookstores in Caracas that I usually visited on a monthly basis to get me periodicals and books in English. From the latest book from Stephen King to Cashbox magazine and even a Village Voice, I would eventually find me some reading material that I would use to keep me sharp in Shakespeare’s language.

Yesterday checking the Online Venezuelan newspapers, I come across a picture of one of those stores today. The accompanying article explains that the 60-year-old bookstore has become a Five and Dime in order to survive. Since they have to import books and the government is not very interested in sharing the hard to come US Dollars, their access to books is almost gone.  For the past four years, the Book industry in Venezuela has not had any access to foreign currency, so they cannot print or import books unless they manage to get greenback in the black market which makes the product expensive as hell.

I find amusing that for many years, the Left Wingers in Venezuela crapped all over the “American Culture” and how it was poison for the mind. Now and thank you to Socialism, bookstores are filled with SpongeBob SquarePants and Mickey Mouse trinkets.

Via la fucking Revolucion Bolivariana.