Ali al-Moussawi turns heads when he pulls up to Baghdad checkpoints driving a truck with shelves full of books.
Al-Moussawi, 25, holds a degree in English translation, and wants to revive Iraq's love of reading, he told the AP.
Baghdad was once revered as the literary capital of the Arab world, but lately is known more for bombings than books.
It started with a Facebook page called "Iraqi Bookish," which al-Moussawi started hoping to create a space for other bibliophiles to gather and talk.
He ended up selling books as a way to fund cultural events, opening a stand at a shopping center in Baghdad. And it's turned out to be a surprisingly lucrative venture, sometimes bringing in up to $4,000 per month - leading him to hire four employees to help out.
Aside from dealing with perplexed officers at checkpoints and negotiating with security to park his mobile bookshop, he also has sectarianism to contend with - and has to be careful which books he puts on display in different parts of town.
