Firestorm Books, a revolutionary bookstore in Asheville, North Carolina, took charge of 22,500 books. These books were removed from the Duval County Public Schools system in Florida. Their mission is to return these books to the community where they originated i.e. Florida.
Book banning in the USA involves restricting access to certain books. It was due to objections about content, often related to themes such as sexuality, violence, or political ideology. Organisations like the American Library Association actively oppose book banning, advocating for intellectual freedom.
In November 2022, a contractor was instructed to destroy 20,000 banned books. These were reached out to Firestorm Books. They said they’d send the books for free if the bookstore had space to keep them. If not, the books would be destroyed.
The books, with different characters and stories about people, were banned due to censorship by DeSantis. This was done to stop people from reading and ban certain books. Because of this, more than 47 books were marked and kicked out of the school area. More than half of them were about LGBTQ+ characters or history.
Besides books about queer and trans people, a lot of these books talked about racism, colonialism, and how people can make a difference in ways that are easy for kids to understand. Banning certain books can make people more hateful and violent.
Some Republicans across the country don’t like a few books with descriptions of sex. But in Iowa, many other books are also being taken out. In one Nevada, Iowa school system, they removed many classic books, like George Orwell’s 1984 and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. This is because people were worried about losing their jobs.
It can also make it seem okay to ignore queer and trans lives. For example, when LGBTQ books are banned, it makes it easier for people to scare kids at events like drag story hours. Miraculously, Firestorm is starting a project called Banned Books Back! They want to give the books back to kids in Florida for free.
This may be counted as little rain in the fire of fascism, but it’s a start. Kids and their friends can ask for free books using a secret form. They can choose picture books for ages 4-8 or chapter books for ages 8-12. Each request gets five to six books, including LGBTQ+ stories, cool zines and stickers in the package.
The goal is to send 2,000 packages with 10,000 books to kids who need them. They’re starting in Florida but want to help more states face book bans. They need $30,000 to make it happen, mainly for shipping. They’ve got a lot to raise to reach their goal.
With Banned Books Back!, Firestorm shows how sharing resources can work differently. Firestorm believes we must work together against things like white supremacy, patriarchy, and adult control. It is clear that kids are being targets because they’re seen as easy for strict rules and strong conservative views.
Banned Books Back! is inspired by a past queer movement called Bash Back! This movement, from the late 2000s, aimed for queer and trans liberation. It started in Chicago and spread nationwide, focusing on political disruption. Bash Back! was different from mainstream gay rights because it wanted more than just fitting into norms. It imagined a world where queer and trans people could truly be free.
Are you someone who wishes to contribute to the Banned Books Back!? Movement: you can donate money or books. Aside from Banned Books Back!, Firestorm also gathers donated books. They give these books to Asheville Prison Books and share them freely in the community, especially for young readers.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.