Activists Aim to Distribute 22,500 Books Removed from Schools in Duval County, FL
Asheville, NC (January 4, 2024) – Firestorm Books announced this week that it had acquired thousands of children’s books banned from the Duval County Public School system in Florida. The queer- and trans-owned bookstore will be giving away hundreds of copies each of nearly four dozen titles exploring topics from racism and colonialism to social movement history and visionary organizing. In a social media post, Firestorm asked people to make donations to help cover the cost of shipping books directly to children, and encouraged kids and adults to submit requests for these free book bundles.
The books themselves have an incredible story. In 2022, advocates raised alarm after Duval County school administrators ordered the removal of titles in the Essential Voices collection from classrooms and schools. These books, purchased from Perfection Learning, were designed to update existing libraries with diverse and inclusive content featuring characters with a variety of ethnicities, religious affiliations, and gender identities. Of the books that were permanently removed, more than half featured LGBTQIA+ characters or history. “When we were told that these books were at risk of being destroyed, we knew we had to act,” noted Firestorm Books co-owner Esmé Joy.
Under the campaign name “Banned Books Back!,” bookstore staff and community volunteers will begin shipping books removed from Duval County schools directly to kids in mid-January. The campaign will focus on states where the freedom-to-read is under attack, starting with Florida. Firestorm Books also plans to distribute thousands of books in partnership with grassroots organizers, educators, and librarians whose local relationships can reach kids and families that the bookstore cannot.
“We’re working to return these books as an act of solidarity with the kids from whom they were taken,” explained Beck Nippes, another Firestorm co-owner. “We hope the campaign can connect with, and contribute to, a broader antifascist struggle, because books bans aren’t happening in isolation. They’re connected to attacks on reproductive and gender-affirming health care in a climate of escalating violence against queer and trans folks, especially youth.“
Kids and their allies in Florida can now request free books through Firestorm Books’ website (firestorm.coop/bannedbooks), specifying either picture books for ages 4–8 or chapter books for ages 8–12, and requests will be fulfilled as funding becomes available. “We’re expecting to spend around $17,500 on postage alone,” said Firestorm co-owner Glenda Ro, noting that the bookstore has already raised enough money to fulfill the first 700 requests.
Among the banned books that Firestorm Books will distribute are award-winning titles such as New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga, and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan and R. Gregory Christie. More information about Banned Books Back!, including a full title list and FAQ, is available at givebutter.com/bannedbooksback.
Firestorm Books is a fifteen-year-old collectively owned bookstore and community event space in Asheville, NC. The co-op, known for its social movement–oriented book selection, sells all-ages titles online and in person.