The Word is on the Street
The gritty world of New York City street booksellers is exposed in a remarkable story that chronicles their lives and loves and their unique perspectives on life. Made on location at the sidewalk book tables of New York by a fellow street bookseller, 'BookWars' explores the other side of the book tables along the streets of the Village, on the Lower East Side, along 6th avenue, and elsewhere in New York City. See the Mayor, the University and the NYPD try to shut them down!
BookWars (2000) is a documentary film directed by Jason Rosette, released on June 9, 2000 with a runtime of 1h 19m. It stars Peter Whitney, Rick Sherman, Ron Harris and Jason Rosette. Viewers rate it 6.8 out of 10 across 5 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for BookWars before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for BookWars.
Trailer
Teaser
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
Peter Whitney
as Self - Street Bookseller
Rick Sherman
as Self - Street Bookseller
Ron Harris
as Self - Street Bookseller
Jason Rosette
as Self - Street Bookseller
Everett Shapiro
as Self - Street Bookseller
Polish Joe
as Self - Street Bookseller
Al Geldman
as Self - As Street Bookseller 'Al Mappo'
Directed by Jason Rosette, written by Jason Rosette, produced by Jason Rosette.
Average viewer score of 6.8/10 from 5 ratings.
**Bookwars Directed by Jason Rosette** *by Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Film Critics Circle* *(originally appearing in the NY Press)* In *BookWars*, a superb nonfiction film by first-time feature director Jason Rosette, books are more than sources of knowledge. They are merchandise that’s appraised, bought and sold. They’re also artifacts, sometimes clean and intact but more often damaged, whose condition at the…
Reviewed on August 28, 2026
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BookWars (2000) is available to stream on fuboTV and Eternal Family. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of BookWars (2000) includes Peter Whitney, Rick Sherman, Ron Harris, Jason Rosette and Everett Shapiro. The film was directed by Jason Rosette. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
BookWars was released on June 9, 2000 and runs for 1h 19m.
BookWars (2000) holds an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 from 5 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official BookWars trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
