Florida has been making international headlines — and this time it’s not related to Florida Man (unless we want to refer to Ron DeSantis as Florida Man). Late last summer, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster were only a few of the mainstream publishers suing the State of Florida for banning books from school libraries. Sydney Booker, the spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education, argued, “Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools.”
So, what are some of these scandalous books Booker is so worried about falling into the hands and minds of susceptible readers? For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Classics that have been on required reading lists across school districts for decades. Altogether, a 35-page list was constructed detailing the lists of books banned in 73 school districts throughout Florida. The book banning trend has also heavily targeted DEI reads, cutting down access to reading from LGBTQ+ and POC authors. While the current administration is “trying to make America great again,” it seems likely that the real intention is to make America dumb and less diverse.
In this Bookstr conversation, I have reached out to three independent bookstores in Florida. I aimed to discuss how these book-banning trends have been affecting their businesses. We also discussed how they have been helping their bookish community during these trying times. Let’s get started and meet these fantastic indie bookstores of Florida.
The Questions
To begin the conversation, please introduce your business to our readers. What’s the vibe? Do you focus on any specialty genres, writers, etc.? What is the community you serve like?
Bookends: We are Bookends: Literature & Libations, and we are currently renovating a 100-year-old bungalow in Ybor City to be our permanent storefront. In the meantime, we have a mobile bookstore that we take to pop-up events, local businesses, and markets. We also conduct author talks at various venues in the Tampa area and host book clubs at a local distillery. We carry all genres of books and carry many by local authors. Our inventory also includes literary-themed totes, socks, hats, journals, etc.
The community we serve is very diverse, with a broad range of tastes in their reading choice — fiction, romance, local history, and classics being among the favorite genres.
The Gilded Page: We’re a general bookstore that offers a curated selection of new books covering a wide range of genres and interests, from children’s to adult. We specialize in new releases, beloved classics, special & signed editions, and unique gifts for booklovers of all ages. We also create community through a variety of events, such as author talks, storytime, adult book fairs, festivals, and book clubs. Being in a tourist town, we do get a lot of folks looking for Florida-based books, but we also have a strong local customer base that loves genre fiction–especially romantasy!
Tombolo Books: Tombolo Books is a lesbian owned indie bookstore in the heart of St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District. Our book selection is highly curated across all genres, and we are committed to carrying books by emerging and marginalized voices, books in translation, and books from small independent presses, as well as classics and outstanding popular titles.
We are also an events-focused bookstore dedicated to being a community space where readers and writers can come together to exchange ideas, learn, and share their work. We are really lucky to share our courtyard with a local coffee shop and a juice bar. This makes the whole vibe of our space very warm and inviting. We really just want people to feel welcome and comfortable in our space so that they can find the books that they need.
Being in a battleground Republican-run state that has had some of the loudest and most aggressive book-banning rhetoric, how has this affected your business at your independent bookstore?
Bookends: We really haven’t had any direct confrontations about the selection of books we carry. For the most part, our customers are well-read and/or enthusiastic readers and don’t concern themselves with telling other people what they can or can’t read.
There have been parents who have started to look at books for their children, but put them back upon finding out the content is of a commonly banned theme (sexuality, race). However, we also have parents who have selected controversial books to purposely enlighten their children on these themes.
The Gilded Page: The book-banning rhetoric has actually helped our business. As a privately-owned business, we can sell these books that are getting pulled from schools and public libraries; in fact, we spotlight many of them, refusing to give in to censorship. We’ve even hosted many Banned Books clubs, reading and discussing some of the most challenged titles. Our community appreciates and supports our decision to address the book-banning issue by stocking many of the titles that are under fire and giving shelf space back to so many voices that are trying to be silenced.
Tombolo Books: Interestingly, and rather luckily, we have escaped much of the backlash that schools and libraries have taken the brunt of here in Florida. St. Petersburg is a really interesting place. We often feel like we are in a bubble of tolerance here, even though we have seen voting patterns shift more right-leaning in these last few election cycles across the country. And don’t get me wrong, there are some loud voices on the side of book banning here in the city, but our immediate community has been very supportive and is just as alarmed as us by the direction things are moving in.
I would say that the sales of banned books have increased since there has been an uptick in attacks against literary freedom over the last few years. We also get a lot of tourists through the bookstore who are always excited to see that we have a banned books display and are so vocal about the issue. I think the way it has affected us most as of now is that we are always on edge about what legislators are going to do next. We are constantly planning for the “what ifs” and continuing to take action steps so that we never get there.
Why are independent bookstores a vital part of every community?
Bookends: Independent bookstores serve as a source of enlightenment, entertainment, and exchange of ideas, unlike any other business. They provide the opportunity for community members to meet authors and gain insight into the thought and writing process — while also fostering their own creative endeavors.
This is a small business that supports other small businesses and local authors, and fosters community among disparate individuals.
The Gilded Page: Indie bookstores are more than just retail shops. They’re a third space, a safe space, a place where people of all walks of life can come and be a part of a community, whether that’s through book clubs and events, or just being able to come and see themselves represented in different stories and characters. Indie bookstores bring people together over a shared love of reading, but they also help open minds to different life experiences or viewpoints. Books are such an important tool for developing empathy and broadening outlooks; indie bookstores act as the bridge between readers and the books that help them gain that knowledge and understanding.
Tombolo Books: Oh, so many reasons! As Tombolo Books’ Events Coordinator, my immediate response to that is that indie bookstores are a space for community building. We host over 60 events annually at the store, but participate in dozens more in partnership with organizations across the city. Indies create a space where people can come to find knowledge, to find themselves, or something they need in the books we carry, to take a moment of quiet for themselves during the day, to meet like-minded people, to meet people who have radically different ideas and backgrounds. After last year’s hurricanes and the election, we had so many people come in to thank us for being open and for being a refuge during a very trying time for many people in our community. And for the booksellers at Tombolo Books, that is a massive part of our mission. We want to always meet people with kindness, care, and curiosity.
I also think that bookselling has always been political, especially at indie bookstores, but now more than ever, bookselling and providing access to literature in any capacity is becoming a radical political act. Indie booksellers are vital in the fight against censorship in our communities. You would be hard pressed to find a dispassionate bookseller, and that passion extends to our belief that access to books and knowledge is a right that should be enjoyed by everyone. Every community needs people leading that fight.
Have you been in conversation with your customers about book banning, and how have they supported your business concerning this issue?
Bookends: Our customers are open-minded, kind people who support literature of all styles and content. They are glad to see that we carry books of all genres, reading levels, and styles, and enjoy the freedom to buy or not buy what they want without fear of judgment.
The Gilded Page: As I mentioned, we’ve hosted many Banned Book clubs, inviting our customers to join us in not only the discussion of books that have been challenged or banned, but on the book-banning topic as a whole. Many of our customers are thrilled to see that we stock so many titles that are being challenged or considered controversial. They appreciate that we’re standing up to this issue in the best way we know how–by stocking these titles instead of removing them from our shelves–and many of them enjoy being able to stand with us and stand up against this issue by buying copies of these books and supporting these authors and their works.
Tombolo Books: Yes, we have had a lot of great conversations with customers about book banning, and it has all been really supportive. Oftentimes, the conversations start with people being shocked that a book has been banned or challenged. The Diary of Anne Frank is one people just can’t wrap their heads around why it would be controversial. It’s always a really good opportunity to educate folks on the various reasons a book might be banned or challenged. And we hope we have created a space where people feel safe enough to ask questions and discuss.
We have also partnered with many organizations throughout the city to disperse banned books, and anytime we put out the call to our customers, they show up in incredible ways. We really are so lucky to be in this community where readers are so engaged and passionate about this topic!
What message would you like to broadcast to your local, state, and federal politicians concerning book bans?
Bookends: As former teachers, we are acutely aware of the power of books and the positive influence they provide to readers of all ages. We deeply respect the personal decision readers make regarding their choice (or choice for their children) as to what they read. We do not condone books with gratuitous, immoral content, but we recognize the importance of controversial content and the ability to learn and decipher what is good literature and what isn’t. As such, we would encourage potential book banners to carefully read books of all types with an open mind and with empathy. While there is no universal book for all people, the ability to have access to a choice should be available.
The Gilded Page: Book-banning is a slippery slope that will only lead to a society with fewer freedoms and more closed minds.
Tombolo Books: Oh wow, that’s a loaded question. I would like to ask these politicians who are so vocal about banning books in schools and libraries what they are so afraid of. I think we all know the answer to that question, and it has nothing to do with protecting children. In my opinion, one of the most cowardly things a politician can do is hide their hatred behind the guise of “protecting children.” Censorship of any kind will always be about controlling who has power and who does not.
When you remove access to knowledge, when you white-wash history, when you dismantle spaces of culture and diversity, what you are really doing is stripping people, particularly marginalized people, of their power to connect, organize, and tell their stories. The goal of the barrage of bills coming out across the country is to wear us down into submission, but I would tell our political leaders that we are not going anywhere, and we are not going to be quiet about this.
Does your bookstore participate in any community events to help spread the importance of books and independent bookstores? If so, please elaborate on some of your fondest memories of these events.
Bookends: We participated in Banned Book Week events the last two years, where we featured both current and classic banned books. These events had a local school board member, president of the local NAACP chapter, media personalities, LGBTQ+ Democratic caucus, League of Women Voters, and even a drag queen story time (the kids loved it!). A theatre group performed dramatic readings from banned books, and Freedom To Read representatives spoke. This past year, we hosted a Banned Books Week event where a lawyer/social studies teacher gave a great presentation on the history of the First Amendment and its relationship to censorship. Guests were given an opportunity to share their memories of reading books on these banned lists and how they positively affected their lives. Banned Book bingo was a crowd favorite and provided information that many guests did not previously know. Over and over, when people would see the titles of books they had read, they exclaimed, “Why is that book banned?”
We have been participating in the Independent Bookstore Day event, a nationwide celebration including over 1400 bookstores, held on the last Saturday in April. This event promotes the importance of independently owned, small bookstores by encouraging community members to get out and visit as many as possible. This year features Authors Against Book Bans, a bingo game tied to each store’s curated selection of challenged books. This fun game gets participants to learn about censorship and hopefully read these selections.
The Gilded Page: We participate in Independent Bookstore Day (IBD) each April, and just this past year, we hosted the first annual Tarpon Springs Book Festival for our town on IBD. It was a magical day with over 100 local authors and vendors, panels with authors speaking on a variety of topics, and featured authors coming for meet & greets. The book community is so strong in our area, and just in general, and it was just such a beautiful day of celebrating books and authors, and the joy that comes with reading.
Tombolo Books: Absolutely! One of our favorite events of the year is Independent Bookstore Day, which is a nationwide event that takes place every year on the last Saturday of April. Those days are always filled with so much joy and celebration! It’s just a blast.
This year’s event at Tombolo Books will highlight the book banning issues across the state. We are partnering with local children’s book author Rob Sanders, who wrote a book called Book Comes Home about banned books. We are also doing a banned books donation drive with our friends at the Florida Freedom to Read Project. All of that on top of some fun IBD activities will definitely make for a wonderful day!
What are some of your favorite banned books that everyone should read?
Bookends: Catcher in the Rye, And Tango Makes Three, Julian is a Mermaid, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Giver, Where the Wild Things Are, 1984
The Gilded Page: This is a long list, but some of my favorite banned books are Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.
Tombolo Books: To name a very select few: Maus by Art Spiegelman, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Beloved by Toni Morrison, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and I could go on and on!
While Florida has been a battleground for literacy against book banning, these bookstores have been a haven for those continuing the fight. I want to thank Bookends Ybor, The Gilded Page, and Tombolo Books for their insightful contribution!
Make sure to support these vital gems in Florida:
Bookends Ybor: Instagram | Facebook | Website
The Gilded Page: Instagram | Facebook | Website
Tombolo Books: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Twitter (X) | Website
To read another voice about literacy advocacy, check out our interview with Bookstagrammer Carmen Alvarez.
To explore our list of banned book recommendations, click here.
