So-called banned book library opens in St. Pete theater company
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - There's a book battle brewing in schools across Florida and that’s why a St. Petersburg theater company helped create an independent library full of banned books.
Well-known titles like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" now have a permanent home at the American Stage Theater Company.
"A lot of times when you hear about a book ban, it seems so big, right? It's like, how do I fight this legislation? How do I find a way to keep this alive? And this is something so simple. You can come get a book, you can get a book for yourself, get it for your friend, so this is such a small, actionable way to make that change and show that you are in support of having this literature in our schools," explained Avery Anderson, the director of marketing and communications for the American Stage Theater Company.
'The Diary of Anne Frank' is in the new banned book library.
The American Stage Theater Company, along with Keep St. Pete Lit and Tombolo Books, created the independent library at St. Pete College, where the theater is located, full of books that have either been banned or were temporarily pulled from shelves for review.
"These are all books that have been challenged or banned in Pinellas County or somewhere in the state of Florida," Anderson stated. "It's very simple. It's a free public library so come and take a book, either return it or donate another one through the registry through Tombolo."
'Ambitious Girl' can be found at the banned book library.
"Ambitious Girl" is one of the banned books included in the library. The summary says it’s about a young girl who sees a strong woman on TV labeled as "too assertive "and "too ambitious," sending her on a journey of discovery through past and present challenges faced by women and girls.
READ: Book ban efforts surging in 2022, library association says
Some of the titles touch on race, the Holocaust, and LGBTQ themes.
The American Stage Theater Company is now home to a banned book library.
Anderson says so far it has received more than 160 donated books.
"Stories tell us a different perspective than what we already know, right? Especially books that are about, we can say, more controversial or more intense subject matter and that's why they're so important because they show you something you might not be used to," Anderson stated.
Click here for a list of books that the library still wants to collect.
Editor's note: In fall 2022, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that the state has not banned "To Kill a Mockingbird." A school district in Florida’s Palm Beach County removed the title from school libraries earlier in the year as part of a review, but later returned it, according to district documents. More information: https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-florida-schools-to-kill-a-mockingbird-201081596097