BookCon 2026 | STORIES THAT COME TO LIFE IN REAL TIME. WHERE FANS MEET THE MINDS BEHIND THE PAGES. A PLAYGROUND FOR READERS, CREATORS, AND IDEAS. PANELS. SIGNINGS. EXPERIENCES THAT FEEL PERSONAL. WHERE POP CULTURE AND LITERATURE COLLIDE. DISCOVERY, CONNECTION, AND NONSTOP ENERGY. A WEEKEND WHERE STORIES STEP OFF THE PAGE. THE SPACE WHERE READERS BECOME PART OF THE STORY.
BookCon emerged as a response to something readers had been wanting for years: a space where they could engage directly with the stories and the people behind them. Evolving from the industry-focused BookExpo, BookCon opened the doors to a wider audience, transforming into a reader-driven event that celebrates not just books, but the experience of storytelling itself. Over time, it has grown into a major gathering where fans, authors, and creators come together in one shared space.
Unlike traditional book fairs, BookCon thrives on interaction. It’s a place where readers don’t just browse, they participate. Panels, live interviews, book signings, and fan-driven discussions fill the event with energy. It creates an environment where stories are not only read but talked about, questioned, and experienced in real time.
The 2026 edition continues to highlight the evolving relationship between readers and storytelling. It reflects a world where audiences are more engaged than ever, shaping conversations, trends, and the way stories are shared. BookCon stands as a space where creativity meets community, and where every voice has the chance to be heard.
Exhibitors from across the publishing world take part, including major publishers, independent authors, media platforms, and creative brands. The event floor becomes a hub of discovery, where new ideas are introduced, connections are built, and stories find their audience.
Amid this high-energy and interactive setting, Kravitz and Sons is proud to join BookCon 2026. We’re excited to exhibit Pursuing the American Dream: Tucson Chinese-Owned Grocery Stores by Howard J. Eng, a powerful collection of real-life stories that highlight the journey of Chinese immigrants building their lives in the United States. It captures the reality behind small businesses, showing how grocery stores became more than a source of income. They became a path toward stability, identity, and belonging.
This book is built on lived experience. It brings together voices from families who worked, sacrificed, and adapted to survive in a new environment. It does not try to dramatize things. Instead, it lets the truth speak for itself. In a space driven by discovery and connection, it offers something honest and meaningful, giving readers a closer look at stories that often go unnoticed but deserve to be remembered.
A Community Built One Story at a Time
Pursuing the American Dream brings together more than eighty-five stories from grocery store owners and their families. These are not just stories about business. They are about migration, adjustment, and survival in a place that was not always welcoming.
The setting moves through Tucson, Arizona, where these stores became part of everyday life. They were not just places to shop. They were places where communities connected, where culture was preserved, and where families worked side by side to build something lasting. Each story adds another layer, showing how different people faced similar struggles in their own way.
The book also explores important questions about immigration laws, competition, and the decline of these stores over time. It shows how external forces can shape entire communities, even when the people within them are doing everything they can to succeed. The lesson feels clear. Progress often comes with sacrifice, and behind every success, there is a story that made it possible.
A Story That Deserves to Be Heard
This is not just a history. It is a collection of real lives, real effort, and real dreams.
asdasdasdasdasda
asdas
asdas
Pursuing the American Dream
Tucson Chinese-Owned Grocery Stores
Take a closer look and walk through these stories yourself