When Rueben Martinez, another MacArthur Foundation recipient, was a child, he lived in a town without a public library and with parents who didn’t read to him.

Still, Martinez’s teachers inspired a love of literature, and when he became a barber in the Los Angeles area, he provided books for customers to read.

Noticing the books he lent out were rarely returned to him, Martinez started selling books in his barber shop. Now, his Santa Ana, Calif., bookstore — called Libreria Martinez Books and Art Gallery — is among the largest commercial sellers of Spanish-language books in the country.

Martinez, 64, regularly tours schools and appears on Spanish-language television, urging parents to read to their children, and his shop serves as a touchstone for community activities promoting literacy.

“I made more money cutting hair than selling books,” said Martinez. “But the joy of my life is what I’m doing now.”

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