About

I AM Books is an independent bookstore located at 124 Salem Street, in the heart of Boston’s historic North End neighborhood, and serving as a cultural hub for everyone interested in diving into the rich world of Italian and Italian American literature, history, research, art and more.

Labeled as an “Italian American cultural hub,” I AM Books was originally located at 189 North Street, Boston, Mass., from 2015 to 2020. In late 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I AM Books switched its operations to online-only. It reopened in its current space in Dec. 2021.

I AM Books sells primarily fiction and non-fiction by Italian and Italian American authors, books in Italian, as well as cookbooks and books on travel, history, sports, Italian American studies and titles by local authors. The store also features a children’s section, with books, learning material, games and toys.

In 2018 and 2019, I AM Books organized the two-day literary festival IDEA Boston, which was directed by I AM Books co-founder Nicola Orichuia.