How St. Petersburg is Fighting Back Against Book Bans
SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla, Nov. 23, 2023 — ,
Books are core parts of expanding our knowledge and have been incorporated into the school curriculum since its inception. Older books, like Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” which was banned in 1885 by librarians, or “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, which has been attempted to be banned multiple times, yet is still taught in schools. Despite how normalized book bans have been in our country’s history, recently book bans, specifically in Florida, have been taken to a new level.
In Sept. 2023, Florida officially became the state with the most books bans. According to PEN America, an organization that works to research and report on topics that impact writers and journalists, there was a 33 percent increase in book bans nationwide compared to the previous year, with approximately 40 percent being in Florida.
These bans in Florida come as no surprise considering that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 7 (HB7), also known as the “Stop WOKE Act,” into effect in July of 2022. HB7 places strict limitations on discussions and education, involving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and restricts education involving race and diversity. This is especially crucial in understanding book bans in Florida, as the majority of the books getting banned discuss race, gender, and sexuality.
“Limitations against books, particular identities, and certain ideas or historical facts are ways of demonizing, erasing the experiences of, and marginalizing different groups of people,” says Julie Armstrong. Armstrong is an English Professor at the University of South Florida: Saint Petersburg Campus (USFSP) who focuses on social issues in literature. She has a Ph.D. in English from New York University (NYU) and is the editor of multiple books on the civil rights movement.
“Book bans are affecting students in public schools the most. Students in elite private schools are still reading books like Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” They will, therefore, have access to cultural knowledge and skills like thinking that public school students are being robbed of. So, we’re effectively putting Florida’s public school students at an intellectual disadvantage. How will they compete for jobs with students around the country who have access to a wide range of perspectives?”
Book bans are taking place across the state, and most bans involving certain books are left up to each district’s school board officials. While many assume Pinellas County to be a more progressive place to live in Florida, the area still faces its share of book bans. In a document obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, The Pinellas County School Board reportedly reviewed 30 books this Sept. to see if they should be removed from school, along with their policies for controversial instructional methods. Five were removed, and 11 were considered suitable only for high school juniors and seniors.
While books aren’t being removed as much in other counties of Florida, it’s still an ongoing issue that’s making headlines. The statewide and county attempts at this censorship of books dishearten many Pinellas County residents. The state and county choices affect librarians, educators, and many others.
“Throughout my education and career in librarianship, I have always focused my work on fighting censorship and promoting intellectual freedom. The attempted book bans in the schools are a direct attack on those tenets. While my workplace is not experiencing the same attempts to remove certain titles from the shelves, it is extremely disheartening to see prominent figures and organizations go after materials that contain diverse characters. Being a librarian and fighting for the freedom to read under these conditions can be exhausting and fear-inducing,” explains Karrie Ballis.
Ballis is a librarian in St. Petersburg and has been a resident of the area her whole life. She attended St. Petersburg High School, a public school in Pinellas County, and got her B.A. in Health Sciences and M.A. in Library and Information Science from USF. She’s familiar with the state and county’s ongoing censorship attempts and said numerous concerned citizens have contacted the library to see if the book bans are affecting them.
“We have made an effort to promote the titles being scrutinized in the schools and have even ordered more copies of those books (usually because the media surrounding the book bans has created an extreme buzz around those titles). I feel that the community I work in has been very supportive of the work our public libraries have done to promote intellectual freedom.”
Citizens of Pinellas County are working to find ways to show that they are against book bans and to allow everyone access to the books that are being banned. The local organization, Keep St. Pete Lit, is actively working to celebrate and promote St. Petersburg’s literary community through art, education and events, including working against the censorship of books.
Earlier this year, Keep St. Pete Lit partnered with American Stage Theater Company and Tombolo Books, a local St. Petersburg bookstore, to create a banned book library. “People can purchase the books at Tombolo in-person or through our website and then we pick them up and take them to American Stage where they keep the books in a free lending library in their lobby,” explained Maureen McDole, the founder and CEO of Keep St. Pete Lit. “People have bought over 500 books to put into our banned book library.”
The co-owner and founder of Tombolo Books, Alsace Walentine, also spoke about the importance of freedom of reading and creating the Banned Book Library. “[Keep St. Pete Lit] reached out to us to help be the vendor. So we helped them put lists on our website of which books had been challenged.” She explains that when books are being challenged, it can be a lengthy process. In Pinellas, specifically, when a book is challenged, it’s pulled from all libraries in the district to review it — making them unavailable to kids during the whole proceeding, which can last for months before a decision is made on the book.
“We got a lot of encouragement from people saying they want to help stop the book banding. They were so happy that they could contribute just like by buying one or many books to donate to help keep the conversation going.”
Tombolo Books is a popular, independent bookstore that attracts many locals. Earlier this year, Tombolo hosted a monthly banned book club. Patrons could read and discuss books that have been prohibited nationally and statewide. The store also features merchandise and an entire display dedicated to banned books and educating readers on the current status of banned books.
Walentine moved to St. Petersburg eight years ago from North Carolina, where she ran Malaprop’s Bookstore and Cafe in Asheville for 16 years. When she moved to St. Pete, she needed an independent, local bookstore like the one in Asheville. So, she started writing a business plan with her wife, Candice Anderson, to create Tombolo Books.
“[An independent bookstore is] incredibly important to me, because it’s a community center. And, you know, it’s not just retail, it’s a really important thing that we’re doing. Offering a space for people to get recommendations of excellent literature and of cutting edge nonfiction… Taking in suggestions from friends and following certain reviews, that’s all one thing. But to go to a place where you can touch the books and get recommendations from booksellers, and hang out with your friends. That’s like a whole picture, you know? And yeah, I can’t imagine not having that.”
Walentine also has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Bennington College, so she’s familiar with the importance of freedom of literature and the presence of book censorship in a school’s curriculum. Other than partnering with Keep St. Pete Lit, Tombolo hosted a Banned Book Book Club in-store but is also working with the African American Heritage Association (AAHA), a local non-profit, to create a book club that reads banned books and books about banning books.
“They’ve divided it into elementary, middle and high school grade groups. They have a couple of different groups that must pick appropriate books for the age ranges. So we’ve facilitated by hosting that list and helping shoppers get the books to them. So they’ve also done really well collecting books.”
In the past 2022–23 school year, over 1,200 books were considered for banning in districts in Florida. The official list from the Florida government showcases all the books the districts have been working to remove. It includes famous books like “The Handmaiden’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood and “Call Me By Your Name” by Andre Aciman. Reading over the list, you can see LGBTQ+, feminist, and diverse stories being common themes of those being banned.
“I decided I was going to start getting away exactly the books they were telling me not to have in class,” says Adam Tritt. Tritt is a public school English teacher in Brevard County, FL. His work is just some of what people do statewide to combat the book bans. “So now we have 200 and more than 200 titles. We give away more than 5000 books. The books are given away free to students.”
Meanwhile, closer to home, students at USFSP voiced their concerns about the book bans. “I understand removing books that contain profanity or mature content, but a majority of the ones being banned by the state are on actual important issues. The government wants to control the viewpoint taught to the youth,” says Triston Williams, a Junior Education major studying to be a teacher.
Mila Toshanova, an avid banned book reader, mentions, “It’s wrong to ban books, especially when the reason for the ban is based on personal religious beliefs.” She has written papers on the effects of banned books and interviewed the owners of Tombolo books. Meanwhile, an English major, Gia Gillette, says, “I hate what’s happening, and I feel so powerless to do anything. Just my opinion won’t change the congressman making the decisions.”
While book censorship is a major ongoing issue in Florida, citizens of Pinellas County are working to fight back against the legislation. Locals are also encouraged to help the cause by donating to community banned book libraries through Tombolo Books’ registry page. Locals can also write to district legislators about banned books.
“The trend of book banning, especially without going through the proper, formal channels set forth by the school board, is extremely frightening to me. The attack on marginalized groups and voices feels extremely dangerous and like we are moving back in time,” says Ballis. “However, I feel hopeful with the pushback I’ve seen in our community and the young voices who have been standing up for their freedom to read. If anything, the book-banning effort has demonstrated the importance of voting in our local elections, especially for school board seats.”
