Bookshop in Asheville Rescues Banned Books

Mountain Bookstore Gives Second Chance to Banned Books

A number of banned books from schools in other states are getting a second chance because of a bookshop in the mountains of North Carolina.

What You Need To Know

Firestorm, a bookstore in Asheville, accepted 22,500 books pulled from schools in Duval County, Florida. The collective is hosting a series of book-packaging events to send every book back to the county they came from. This is the first phase of the campaign, and the bookshop plans to open it up to additional states in the future.

Challenges Faced by Banned Books

Book challenges and bannings have been a major topic of discussion in school districts across the country, with some parents and community members calling into question books that mention sexuality and racial issues.

Community Effort

“I’m snagging two paperbacks and three hardcover books of my choosing,” Firestorm Co-Owner Esmé Joy said as they searched through boxes of books. “Looking through these books and seeing titles that sort of represent communities that I’m a part of, I’m a queer person seeing books that are celebrating queer families existing, and knowing that is very explicitly being portrayed as child unfriendly.”

Rescuing Books

Around 22,500 children’s books are in the process of being repackaged after arriving from Duval County, Florida, in 2022. The books won’t be staying in Asheville much longer, as the bookshop began a series of events inviting the community to join them in building the packages.

Supporting the Cause

Community support has played a large role in making it possible to send these books to Florida free of charge. Each package contains a note with a handwritten name from the individual it was packaged by.

Moving Forward

This is the first phase of the campaign, and the bookshop plans to open it up to additional states in the future. They want to send a message to the community that there are creative ways to spread your voice.

“I think it feels incredibly empowering to me, to know that you can just take action yourself and not wait for the book bans to be challenged in the legislative sphere,” Joy said.