Big-name authors coming together in Miami to fight book bans
MIAMI - In the middle of endless bookshelves at Books & Books in Coral Gables, one pops out. In a store that sells books, this one is empty.
"This is illustrating what could happen if these horrible, restrictive laws go a step further and try to keep books out of bookstores as well as everywhere else," Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan said.
Kaplan is hosting authors like Brad Meltzer, who have had books banned or challenged. He is the author of the children's book, "I am Billie Jean King." It was unsuccessfully challenged in a Florida school district.
He is one of a group of big-name authors like Judy Bloom, Jodi Picoult, and James Patterson that announced they are coming together to help open a Pen America office in Miami to fight book bans. The week of October 1st to October 7th is "banned books week."
"This is the story of one of the great tennis players who challenged a man who said that men were better than women, and she basically proved him wrong," Meltzer said. "There's a page in the book that also mentioned she's gay, and that's what it says. It doesn't say anything more."
He is helping Pen America open an office in Miami before the end of the year.
"Pen America is a literary and human rights organization that galvanizes writers and their allies to defend and celebrate freedom of expression in the US and around the world," Summer Lopez said.
Summer Lopez said Florida is at the forefront of banning books.
"During the 2022 to 2023 school year, Florida overtook Texas as the state with the largest number of book bans," Lopez said. Over 1,400 instances of books being banned in the state during that school year."
As part of Florida's expanded "parental rights in education" law, one parent or community member can object to instructional material or a school library book.
"I have no problem with a parent saying they don't want their child to read a particular book," Meltzer said. "What I do have a problem with is when they want to control what my child reads, and that's a problem for all of us. And that's a problem that here, we're going to fight back on."
In response to "Banned Books Week", the parental rights group "Moms for Liberty" started "teach kids to read week." We reached out to them for an interview Wednesday evening. This is a developing story and we will update the story as soon as we get a response.