Image Credit: The Bookshop / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Rebecca Scott] –
The Penguin Random House Banned Wagon Tour recently made a stop at an east Nashville bookstore. The Bookshop welcomed the Wagon on Tuesday, October 3rd, encouraging folks to come out and receive a free “banned” book for themselves or purchase “banned” books for donation to several Nashville organizations.
According to The Bookshop’s Facebook page, book giveaways numbered into the hundreds, while there were “dozens purchased for donation.”
Donated books were slated to be given to Oasis Center Nashville – a youth center focused on crisis intervention, social justice, and racial equality; Book’em Nashville – a children’s literacy and book distribution program; and Inclusion Tennessee – an LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization.
The Banned Wagon made tour stops across the south during the first week of October. Not coincidentally, October 1 – 7, 2023 was deemed “Banned Books Week” in the United States and was supported by various organizations including the American Library Association and the company behind the Banned Wagon, Penguin Random House.
In approaching the subject of banned books, the Penguin Random House website clearly states that the company opposes the banning of any books and is especially concerned with getting banned books back into the hands of children. Current titles being freely distributed by the Banned Wagon highlight various themes including LGBTQ+, police brutality, racism, pride, and sexual assault.
In a time when parents, school boards, librarians, and politicians are grappling with issues surrounding age-appropriate literature and parental rights, The Penguin Random House Banned Wagon utilizes its trendy food-truck vibe to welcome people of all ages to partake of their banned book menu.
With no indication that parental consent is required, it appears that the Banned Wagon freely distributed books to any and all who arrived at their truck window.
About the Author: Rebecca Scott is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Rebecca at news@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
4 Responses
So they are opposed to banning any book, including books that teach kids to be Racists? Or books that are anti-semitic? Or hard-core porn? Bad books SHOULD be banned.
The books are not banned, just deemed inappropriate for children of certain ages. It is the same with alcohol, tobacco products and firearms. Maybe they would like 1st graders to have those items too. Oh that’s right! They want to ban those for adults too.
I’m not sure just how much garbage the Penguin truck can add to The Book Shop’s fare of already nauseating fare.
Chances are, The Book Shop isn’t fussy about who picks up their queer authors either.
You’d think the Nashville police might take an interest if it weren’t such a ghey town.
https://www.facebook.com/thebookshopnashville/
Skrmetti just sits there and does absolutely nothing while purveyors of child porn proliferate.