Reading As a Revolution

How readership has spurred change throughout history

Introduction

We, like so many others, often find ourselves focusing on the negatives (especially as they are all too prevalent these days). But it’s essential to focus on the good, too—not just for our own mental health, but as a form of resistance and inspiration to keep pushing for change. Readers have created change throughout history, and their efforts can encourage us to keep going.

You’ve likely read a number of analyses so far about the current presidential administration—from how the Executive Orders are wreaking havoc, to polling numbers, to legal interpretations. But what’s severely lacking—or hidden beneath all the bad on display—are the stories of those pushing back.

Trump’s administration is trying to overwhelm individuals so we get exhausted, so we don’t fight back against their efforts. They are expecting us to give up. And journalism doesn’t always help in this regard, because oftentimes the stories that get the most clicks are those that play into the emotions we are already feeling (in this case being fear, anger, terror, to name a few).

But, as Good Good Good recently shared: “When we consume good news, we can tip the scale away from dread and overwhelm. But it's harder to find, so we have to be intentional and proactive about seeking out stories of progress.”

In today’s newsletter, we are spotlighting various ways readers have created positive societal change via their readership. Because we have, and the change we’ve inspired has echoed through generations. There is no doubt that we can and will continue to create such change, especially if we utilize imagination.

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A Deeper Look

At the back of Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond, there is a QR code encouraging readers to learn more to “join the fight.” Redirecting to a website, there is not only a database of poverty broken down on a state level, but also a form helping readers send a copy of the book to a political representative.

We can’t say how many readers have taken the call to action, nor that the idea is perfect—Penguin Random House should offer to send the copies for free, in our opinion—but the simplistic suggestion is powerful. How many times have we finished a book that feels especially relevant or culturally impactful and wished everyone—friends, family, and government—would read the book? Reading can create change; as we often note, reading is a catalyst for revolution. Books build emotional resonance (better than facts, even), knowledge, and critical thinking skills.

We might all be quick to dismiss such thoughts as wishful thinking. There’s no way many politicians would ever consider reading a book like Poverty, By America (even if it is authored by a white, cishet man). But what if everyone from a young age has access to a diverse range of stories, and if all educational courses we take growing up expose us to realities, problems, and varying solutions, especially when it comes to the United States’ history? As Mariame Kaba writes, “it’s time for a jailbreak of the imagination in order to make the impossible possible.”

This is exactly what readers have done throughout history—taken an idea that, at the time, felt simply impossible, and turned it into reality. One of the most infamous examples, of course, is how enslaved individuals used literacy to fight enslavers and the wider system of slavery. Anti-literacy laws were written in response to abolition and used to further justify slavery. Enslavers knew that educating Black men and women in reading and writing could be dangerous. By learning—and teaching one another—how to read and write, enslaved individuals were able to create documentation such as travel passes, and imagine “a world beyond bondage,” as historian Dr. Heather A. Williams wrote. In Black in Blues, author Imani Perry writes: “Even those who had no chance to learn to read gathered by candlelight around those who could, who could read aloud the words of abolitionist tracts, the word of God, and news about the war.”

Nat Turner’s rebellion is one of the most infamous examples of how literacy led to change during slavery. A reader of the Bible, Turner found stories within that supported fighting injustice, in direct opposition to how enslavers weaponized and controlled the text. The Rebellion not only led to new legislation prohibiting the education of enslaved individuals, but set the U.S. on its course toward the Civil War. And years later, after the end of the Civil War, Freedom Libraries across the South opened to combat the exclusion of Black individuals from public libraries—reimagining what a library is and who it serves. (This is something many are still actively working toward today, whether that’s getting more books to incarcerated individuals, or making libraries safe for everyone.)

In the early 1900s, a copy of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair landed in the hands of then-president Theodore Roosevelt. Not unlike Poverty, By America’s website suggests, the author sent a copy to the president to expose the nature of meatpacking plants. The book was in part what led Roosevelt to investigate the book’s accusations and pass the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

We’ve also seen how book bans have shaped not just our school and library systems, but brought communities together. Students have staged walkouts over book bans, and librarians have created organizations unifying their efforts, such as Amanda Jones’s Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship grassroots organization. There are also a number of accounts through history of librarians and booksellers hiding or documenting archives of books when they are at risk. Of course, this has also happened during the Israeli government’s oppression of Palestinians; not only are librarians archiving and tracking destroyed materials, but Palestinians have throughout the decades built public libraries from scratch using their own personal collection of books, due to Israel’s control over imports.

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Ways to Respond

How can we, too, take action during this time?

First and foremost, we must continue to educate ourselves. Whether we’re learning from history or ways to push for societal change, reading can play a critical role in furthering our understanding of a more equitable future. Doing so can also encourage us to stay hopeful; change is radical, and requires radical imagination. (We suggest Let This Radicalize You, Mutual Aid, and We Do This ‘Til We Free Us to start.)

Once you’re done with such books, share what you’ve learned. Spread the word online, recommend the books to others, and donate the book to a Little Free Library or other free space.

To ensure that others are able to keep reading, we must fight for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, libraries, and independent bookshops, all of which play a critical role in making stories more accessible.

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We can join and support mutual aid organizations, community spaces, and grassroots initiatives that cultivate, share, and imagine resources for collective organization and change. Many of these are also indie bookstores, such as Firestorm Coop, an indie that runs mutual aid drives, or All Power Books in LA, which hosts workshops on mutual aid, sewing, and more.

And, importantly, we can continue to seek out and celebrate hopeful news. Whether following or donating to media sites such as Good Good Good or even promoting what has brought us hope, this can help many feel encouraged.

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Final Musings

The examples we’ve highlighted in this newsletter are only a few of the many, many times readers have directly used readership to cause change. We’ve spotlighted other examples before, such as booksellers working toward liberation and readers pushing Palestinian books to the top of bestseller lists. We can, and will continue, to build a more equitable society.

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If you have other examples, we’d love to hear more from you in the comments.

We will be taking a break in May from newsletters due to travel, but in the meantime we’ll keep sharing updates and resources on our Instagram. In the meantime, make sure to check out our reading-themed prints for a cause, free downloads (wallpapers, templates, and more), and our exclusive downloads for newsletter subscribers (with password newsletterdownloads). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email, the comments below, or Instagram DM.

Xx,

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Our Favorite Reads of 2025 So Far

Plus, ways to support your indie this Indie Bookstore Day

What makes for an excellent book? Obviously the definition is subjective, based on personal tastes, cravings, interests, and more. What we consider a good book right now might not hold the same a year later. Aside from alllll the biases that go into the defining of a “good book” (tap into this post for more on that), I’ve always felt that an excellent book is defined by a feeling we can’t articulate. They are the books we need to speak immediately with someone, anyone, about, but have a hard time expressing our infatuation with beyond a “you have to read it.” (This is one of many reasons why I’ve never felt as interested in sharing book reviews on social media; to explain how wonderful a book is, others must simply read it themselves.) So I hesitate even to consider doing roundups or spotlights such as this one.

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Spring and fall tend to be the two “biggest” seasons for new releases. Publishers are looking ahead to two large reading seasons—summer trips and holiday gifting—and hoping to avoid the purchasing slumps that come in summer and winter when folks are traveling, busy, etc.* My favorite books of the year almost always end up releasing between February and May. Anyone who knows me understands that asking about my current reads during this time period can be dangerous—my expectations are high, meaning my disappointment is often dramatic.

But this year, I feel as if I’m on a streak. (Even writing that seems to tempt fate.) The books I’ve been most eager to read have, overwhelmingly, been ones I can’t stop recommending. And during a year that has felt both somehow incredibly long and short all at once, as we call into question the future of the publishing industry and wider society, these stories have given me larger frameworks to reflect on and understand what’s happening, as well as even enjoy the good—and active hope—that persists.

So what are the best books I’ve read so far this year? There have been a number I’ve enjoyed, many that I’ll recommend to others, but three stand out distinctly, filling me with that urgency to hand everyone I know a copy, simply so I have more people to speak about them with. In no particular order, they are:

1. Woodworking by Emily St. James

From the publisher: Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.

Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High's resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It's a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty--and loneliness--that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn't the only one struggling to shed the weight of others' expectations.

As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women—and those closest to them--are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork?

Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.

2. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

From the publisher: On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet has been viewed more than 10 million times.

As an immigrant who came to the West, El Akkad believed that it promised freedom. A place of justice for all. But in the past twenty years, reporting on the War on Terror, Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter protests, and more, and watching the unmitigated slaughter in Gaza, El Akkad has come to the conclusion that much of what the West promises is a lie. That there will always be entire groups of human beings it has never intended to treat as fully human—not just Arabs or Muslims or immigrants, but whoever falls outside the boundaries of privilege. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is a chronicle of that painful realization, a moral grappling with what it means, as a citizen of the U.S., as a father, to carve out some sense of possibility in a time of carnage.

This is El Akkad’s nonfiction debut, his most raw and vulnerable work to date, a heartsick breakup letter with the West. It is a brilliant articulation of the same breakup we are watching all over the United States, in family rooms, on college campuses, on city streets; the consequences of this rupture are just beginning. This book is for all the people who want something better than what the West has served up. This is the book for our time.

3. The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

From the publisher: Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to write about being undocumented for the first time using her own name. It was right after the election of 2016, the day she realized the story she’d tried to steer clear of was the only one she wanted to tell. So she wrote her immigration lawyer’s phone number on her hand in Sharpie and embarked on a trip across the country to tell the stories of her fellow undocumented immigrants—and to find the hidden key to her own.

Looking beyond the flashpoints of the border or the activism of the DREAMers, Cornejo Villavicencio explores the lives of the undocumented—and the mysteries of her own life. She finds the singular, effervescent characters across the nation often reduced in the media to political pawns or nameless laborers. The stories she tells are not deferential or naively inspirational but show the love, magic, heartbreak, insanity, and vulgarity that infuse the day-to-day lives of her subjects.

In New York, we meet the undocumented workers who were recruited into the federally funded Ground Zero cleanup after 9/11. In Miami, we enter the ubiquitous botanicas, which offer medicinal herbs and potions to those whose status blocks them from any other healthcare options. In Flint, Michigan, we learn of demands for state ID in order to receive life-saving clean water. In Connecticut, Cornejo Villavicencio, childless by choice, finds family in two teenage girls whose father is in sanctuary. And through it all we see the author grappling with the biggest questions of love, duty, family, and survival.

In her incandescent, relentlessly probing voice, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio combines sensitive reporting and powerful personal narratives to bring to light remarkable stories of resilience, madness, and death. Through these stories we come to understand what it truly means to be a stray. An expendable. A hero. An American.

Other favorites this year have included Big Familia, Liquid, and Stag Dance.

*Of course, such a release schedule begs the question as to whether or not books released outside of spring and fall receive the same amount of marketing, publicity, and sales support (and advance promises). What patterns do we see in whose books are released when?

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Other books we are reading (or hope to read) this month:

✅Liberating Abortion by Renee Bracey Sherman and Regina Mahone

✅Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

✅The Hollow Half by Sarah Aziza

✅The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova, translated by Ann Goldstein

✅🎧What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon

🗓️Zeal by Morgan Jerkins

🗓️Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Note: For books we have completed, we’ll only include here ones we recommend.

Books new to our TBR:

• The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman

• Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue

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The 2025 ad astra Readership Challenge: “Show support for the independent bookstore(s) you love.”

We’ve written at length before about the importance of supporting independent bookshops and how readers can do so—no matter our budgets. And as large corporations, such as Amazon and Target, continue to make clear their priorities, investing in small businesses that align with our values is always important.

Saturday, April 26 is Independent Bookstore Day, a day that aims to champion and uplift indie bookstores and all they do to cultivate community. Community is essential in our ongoing efforts to fight against not just the current administration’s ideologies and orders, but longstanding and deeply rooted societal inequities.

Here are some ways we can support indie bookstores on April 26 and beyond:

• Shop in person: Especially with the unknown future of tariffs, indie bookstores and other small businesses are going to be hit incredibly hard. While books continue to be exempt from tariffs on China—where most books are printed—many of the other products stores sell, their packaging, etc. will be impacted. And because of a likely rise in shipping costs, we will probably see an increase in book prices. That being said, these stores are not the enemy and many are already fearing closure. Keep supporting them financially when we can, and keep letting the administration know that they’re hurting small businesses.

  • If they don’t have what you want in store, you can request it from them, or order it online directly from their website.

  • If your indie doesn’t have an online store, you can order books from them via Bookshop.org—but definitely try to order directly from the store first, as they keep a larger portion of the sale. You can also now support your indie with ebooks via Bookshop.org.

• Attend their events: Whether in person or virtual, your attendance helps boost sales and shows publishers that they should schedule events there again in the future.

• Follow and engage with them on social media: Like, share, and comment on their posts, tag them in pictures of your bookstore visits, and share their profile with others.

• Support them with audiobooks: Libro.fm allows you to purchase audiobooks through your indie bookshop. You can start a monthly membership, purchase audiobook credit bundles, or buy audiobooks à la carte—a portion always goes to the indie of your choice.

• Subscribe to their email newsletter: You will likely hear about events, new releases, bookseller recs, and more.

• Purchase non-bookish gifts from them: Many bookstores sell candles, notebooks, art, journals, calendars, puzzles, cards, and more. Think of them whenever you have a gift to purchase, not just for book lovers!

• Grab gift cards: Whether gifting these to others, giving them away on social media, or getting for yourself to use, gift cards are a great way to help a bookstore get an upfront purchase.

• Spread the word: Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about moving away from Amazon and supporting indies.

• Divest from Amazon and large corporations in other areas of your life. Whether choosing a different e-reader service, limiting how much you order from them online, changing your One Medical subscription, etc., diminishing Amazon’s power helps all small businesses—including indie bookstores.

About the challenge -

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Folks who complete all the prompts by EOY will be entered to win a $100 gift card to their indie bookstore of choice. Those who finish at least six of the prompts will receive an exclusive ad astra sticker. In December, we'll share a submission link to complete as proof of participation. (Our downloadable tracker will be helpful for this!)

Want to participate? Join our Broadcast Channel on Instagram, follow our newsletter, and get your friends to join!

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Other publishing updates:

• National Library Week took place earlier this month. Libraries, librarians, and library workers need our support more than ever. Here’s why and how.

• Inkitt plans to expand into generative AI…which is concerning for a number of reasons.

• HarperCollins was the only Big Five publisher to not call on Congress to restore funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Let them know your thoughts.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share with friends, and consider subscribing if you have not yet already. Also, in case you missed it, we have launched prints! Learn more and place an order here.

We’ll be back in a few weeks with the latest publishing updates.

Xx,

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Volume XLVII: Free Speech and Capitalism

How the publishing industry reinforces censorship

Introduction

In the past month alone, there have been numerous conversations circulating in the bookish world that touch on access and investment: Who gets published, and who doesn’t? Who has “freedom” of speech, and who does not? Who receives publisher investment and who won’t? These questions are all related, and what we’re seeing play out in publishing news and beyond points to the greater picture: free speech cannot exist in an industry that roots itself in capitalism.

The publishing world never exists in a silo; any updates or drama we see in the industry are often reflections of what’s happening in society at large. Take, for example, the industry’s reaction to widespread upheaval in 2020 demanding racial equity and justice. Publishers shared statements and new plans for investment…only to have seen most of those efforts dissolve in the following years, and some even lean further into conservative publishing. This is no surprise, which we discussed earlier this month, as the industry—particularly the Big Five—is rooted in capitalism. Like most businesses, many publishers make decisions based on what they consider “trends” (despite that problematic labeling) and what will increase stakeholder profits.

A few weeks back, readers took to social media to express frustrations with the release of Oathbound, a beloved YA novel in Tracy Deonn’s bestselling series. Readers were upset with the industry’s lack of investment in Deonn—whether that be by the book’s publishers or sellers like Barnes and Noble—particularly in comparison to the release of Rebecca Yarros’ Onyx Storm earlier in the year. Originally, this newsletter was going to focus on Barnes and Noble’s problematic corporate decisions—something we have discussed in a prior newsletter. But as the month went on, and the news (intentionally) continued to pile up, it grew impossible not to focus on the greater picture.

This lack of support for Deonn’s series; Barnes and Noble’s general disinvestment in authors and readers; the terrifying and indefensible targeting, abducting, and deporting of individuals like Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Yunseo Chung; and yet another year of author withdrawals from the PEN America Jean Stein Award all might not seem connected at first. (In fact, even placing all of those events together in the same statement feels kind of weird.) But they completely are.

Publishing, for obvious reasons, often champions the concept of free speech. But in many ways, not only is the industry complicit in forms of censorship, but in perpetuating the dangerous cycles that attempt to normalize censorship.

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A Deeper Look

Censor, verb: “To examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable.” (Merriam-Webster)

By now, most of us are familiar with book bans and challenges, and how they aim to prevent readers from accessing certain books—predominantly those by and/or about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals. We’re also seeing the Trump administration’s terrifying attacks on students and others who have spoken in support of a free Palestine (despite immigrants being protected under the First Amendment), including member of the Kid Lit community Rumeysa Ozturk. The administration is also attempting to defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services and dismantle the Department of Education—moves meant to curtail access to information. And earlier this month, a PEN America employee published a story in Mondoweiss about the censorship they’re facing at PEN, as well as the censorship Palestinian authors continue to experience.

But many of us are probably far less aware of other forms of censorship occurring, such as soft censorship or self censorship, meaning they tend to go unnoticed.

What do we mean by soft and self censorship? Soft censorship refers to preemptively limiting or preventing access to something, out of fear of retaliation. This looks like booksellers stocking LGBTQIA+ stories in the part of a store that receives less foot traffic, librarians not creating displays that feature stories with Black protagonists, or educators removing or not ordering a specific book for their collection in the first place, even while knowing their students would benefit from it.

Self censorship is similar, but relates to an individual modifying their own words or other forms of expression, often out of fear of backlash. Authors might do this when trying to get a book published, or individuals might do so on social media out of fear for their careers.

But beyond authors, librarians, and educators, publishers themselves play a role in these less blatant—but still firm—examples of censorship. For example, we’ve known for a while that publishers are hesitant to publish Palestinian voices because they are deemed “controversial.” In doing so, they actively prevent books from going to market out of fear of retaliation. And what about the authors that do get publishing deals, but don’t receive significant—or any—sales, marketing, or publicity support? Predominantly, these are stories by BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Their stories might be published, but they aren’t necessarily in many bookstores like those by white, cishet authors. There are so many stories we will never read.

And this is where Oathbound comes in. Even if Simon & Schuster, Deonn’s publisher, is not complicit in direct censorship, their company decisions still have consequences. In this case, these decisions led to stores not creating as much fanfare around the book as other popular fantasy series. Yes, the book might not sell as well as the Fourth Wing series, but that’s because the book was never given the chance—by the publisher and its budget, by booksellers and their displays, or by readers and their biases—in the first place. (Deonn also has been a victim of book banning attempts, for those who are curious.)

Often, this happens because publishers claim the book won’t sell “as well” (as well as what, you might wonder? Stories by white, cishet authors), so they don’t invest as much in it from the top. Booksellers see the lack of publishing support, or are flat out told it’s not as high of a priority, and they don’t purchase as many copies. Readers don’t see flashy marketing campaigns, and so they don’t buy the book. The cycle repeats itself.

Here, publishing normalizes censorship—whether direct, soft, or self—for the sake of profits. The concept of free speech is intended to enable articulation of beliefs and ideas without fear of suppression. But what happens when that concept is compromised by capitalism? Nonprofits are barred from certain political activity; they themselves might not be working for profit, but the government that grants them funding certainly is rooted in capitalism. Students who use their voice to push for change are abducted, fueled by a military industrial complex, and in response their university demolishes educational programs so as to not lose or upset donors. Publishers don’t invest in Black, Indigenous, and Brown authors because they claim they don’t sell as well. Barnes and Noble disinvests in middle grade authors—particularly BIPOC authors—for the same reason, even though they should be investing in young readers to ensure the next generation fights book bans. (But they do platform white supremacists and others who use “free speech” as a scapegoat to champion violent ideals in the attempt to prove they don’t censor (also likely because they think they’ll sell), including to the Rupert Murdochs of the world who have stakes in a company.) Free speech cannot truly exist until capitalism is destroyed.

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Ways to Respond

Not long after outlining this newsletter, I came across the following passage in Liquid by Mariam Rahmani:

“In the US, one was also forced to self-censor—if not in the name of the state, then the market: the publishing market, the job market; in America there was never any shortage of markets. Academic presses feigned freedom from such concerns, but what else did it mean to ask whether a book ‘had an audience?’ You were asking whether it would sell…You wrote what they wanted you to write. Here, there, there were forms of power so insidious that the policed did the policing: that was the sign of their success.”

We’ve expressed concerns before about what happens when authors and publishers self-censor or pre-comply with the Trump administration’s ideas: basically, as Rahmani states, when those being watched police themselves.

So, if publishing reinforces this type of censorship, or at the bare minimum monitors speech, how do we work around that? Especially within the current political, fascist landscape?

In Part III of his LitHub series The Challenges We Face, Josh Cook writes about the importance of rebuilding media and journalism, investing in LGBTQIA+, immigrant, and BIPOC stories, and building civic spaces. On the first point, he writes:

“Maybe, rather than piling onto the biggest platforms available, we cultivate a ton of smaller ones that can be stitched together into something national when we need a national response. Maybe a loose network of newspapers, alt-weeklies, zines, journals, and other media both printed and online that only have a readership of a few thousand each, but who create passion, engagement, and action for those readers is the best response to the hyper-concentrated corporate media ecosystem that creates such a profoundly uninformed public. It’s also harder to squelch opposition expression or co-opt it, when it has thousands of outlets. Maybe being small is a strength.”

As we’ve noted, free speech is a lot easier to uphold when one isn’t reporting to stakeholders. Like mutual aid networks that don’t rely on “traditional” (read: often discriminatory) funding efforts, small publications can be a powerful way to spread and uplift voices. We need the indie presses that are mission driven—the Haymarkets, the Arsenal Presses. We need the zines distributed by hand, or freely left in coffee shops. We need the electronic files that are DRM-free. We also need the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled-owned bookstores that commonly invest in stories that don’t receive as much publisher support. All of these modes and methods of communication play a powerful role. And the hope, ultimately, is that as more content is shared, as more ideas are spread that go beyond what is deemed “sellable” (or “safe”), that society changes—that people better understand the long history of Palestinian oppression, the reason why billionaires shouldn’t exist, the necessity of true investment in DEI initiatives, and so much else, and act accordingly.

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Final Musings

When readers noticed Deonn’s new book not receiving nearly as much attention as it should, they began amplifying it all the more across social media. In particular, Black content creators were the drive behind midnight launch parties at bookstores and more visibility for the series in general. They took it into their own hands to do what traditional media was failing to do.

And, finally, we can’t have a conversation about free speech without circling back to a very important point, briefly mentioned earlier: there is a difference between enabling free speech and enabling hate speech. Publishers actively profiting off of hate speech or authors that revel in it is not them championing free speech, or allowing “ideas” to circulate; in addition to upholding white supremacist ideas of who and who does not get access to free speech, it’s giving someone who often already has a large platform an even bigger one—with monetary support—to further oppress those who need the most societal support.

As always, we readers have power. Being more mindful of our reading choices, whether the publishers and bookstores we support, or the way we find out about new releases, are all important.

Today is also Trans Day of Visibility, and we have recommendations for your TBR, as well as ways to fight for trans rights every day of the year.

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And don’t forget to fight for libraries. They need our help more than ever.

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We will be back in a few weeks with a dive into a recent read and resources for another prompt in our Readership Challenge. In the meantime, make sure to check out our reading-themed prints for a cause, free downloads (wallpapers, templates, and more), and our exclusive downloads for newsletter subscribers (with password newsletterdownloads). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email, the comments below, or Instagram DM.

Xx,

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“Oppressive language…is violence.”

Read these books instead of Dream Count

[Dear readers: This issue contains discussions of transphobia.]

In her 1993 Nobel Lecture in Literature, Toni Morrison said: “Oppressive language does more than represent violence, it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge, it limits knowledge.” This quote plays on repeat in my mind (as do many of her other reflections on literature and fascism—which you can find compiled in The Source of Self-Regard), especially these days as “excused” rhetoric and behavior grow increasingly, but unsurprisingly, more horrifying. As our administration is held unaccountable for glaringly antisemitic gestures, or for “memes” shared online mocking undocumented immigrants.

Media, of course, plays a large role in not only crafting narratives, but in suggesting what is excusable behavior. Publishing has a long and storied history with problematic decisions, from the publication and promotion of American Dirt to their often flat out refusal of publishing Palestinian authors because it’s too “political.” They’ve platformed and profited off of white supremacists for the sake of “free speech.” Two days after the 2024 election, Hachette announced the launch of their conservative imprint Basic Books, helmed by an individual behind Project 2025 (the irony given Project 2025’s thoughts on censorship is baffling). Bloom Books keeps publishing problematic authors. It doesn’t help, of course, that publishing’s employee demographics, particularly in decision-making roles, are overwhelmingly white, cishet individuals.

Last week, Penguin Random House imprint Knopf released Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. For months, they’d blasted ads across Bookshop.org and the book topped “most anticipated” lists. The release was touted as an event “ten years in the making” for Adichie’s return to the literary world. She herself is always framed as one of the most influential feminists today. What was not broadcasted in any of these paid promotions or garnered reviews, however, was Adichie’s glaring and staunch transphobia.

In a 2017 interview, Adichie claimed “trans women are trans women,” a distinction long used by trans-exclusionists to claim that trans women aren’t “real” women. Although she issued an apology, she doubled down on her transphobic point. And then in 2021, Adichie played the victim and cried “cancel culture,” defended J.K. Rowling, and was accused of transphobia by prior students.

And yet despite knowing publishing’s ongoing problematic behavior, this knowledge doesn’t make their attempt to gloss right over Adichie’s discrimination any less disgusting. In fact, they’ve chosen to not simply gloss over it, but to heavily invest and profit off this book, as evident by their mass marketing and publicity, suggesting that Adichie’s advance, too, was large. (We can’t help but wonder which other writers ended up receiving no support because of that decision.)

And the number of authors, readers, bookstores, etc., who have framed themselves as trans allies, but have conveniently chosen to “forget” this history of transphobia, is no different, and in many ways, worse. (Was it really a project “ten years in the making,” or was it delayed to try and sweep her comments under the rug?)

As trans rights are increasingly under attack, and with authors like JKR directly leading and influencing this transphobia, this communal applause for such an author is not just disappointing, but infuriating.

Morrison’s quote goes on to read: “Whether it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless media…or language designed for the estrangement of minorities, hiding its racist plunder in its literary cheek—it must be rejected, altered, and exposed. It is the language that drinks blood, laps vulnerabilities, tucks its fascist boots under crinolines of respectability and patriotism as it moves relentlessly toward the bottom line and the bottomed-out mind. Sexist language, racist language, theistic language—all are typical of the policing language of mastery and cannot, do not permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas.”

So, we have collected a number of literary fiction and romantic stories (aligning with Dream Count’s BISACs) by trans authors to read not just instead of the novel, but because they exist phenomenally on their own:

📚 A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett

📚 The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

📚 Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

📚 Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero

📚 Still Life by Katherine Packert Burke

📚 Bellies by Nicola Dinan

And a few upcoming/new releases that are at the top of our TBR:

📚 Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

📚 Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan

In addition to reading and amplifying stories by trans authors, there’s much more to do to fight for equity:

➡️ Talk to your friends and family about trans rights.

➡️ Join protests and rallies.

➡️ Vote for reps that protect trans rights, at all levels of government.

➡️ Donate to mutual aid organizations that support trans individuals. @forthegworls is a personal favorite.

➡️ Support trans youth! Uplift their stories and volunteer for or donate to organizations helping them receive gender affirming care, whether that be mental health care or physical.

➡️ Speak out at and/or join your school and public library board to fight book bans.

➡️ Participate in this month’s Trans Rights Readathon (March 21-31).

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Other books we are reading (or hope to read) this month:

✅ Original Sins by Eve Ewing

✅ Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

✅ Big Familia by Tomas Moniz

✅ 🎧That Librarian by Amanda Jones

🗓️ All the Parts We Exile by Roza Nozari

🗓️ One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

🗓️ Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

🗓️ Woodworking by Emily St James

🗓️ 🎧Summer in the City by Alex Aster

(To be honest, most of our anticipated winter releases come out this month—so we have high hopes, and a big TBR!)

Note: For books we have completed, we’ll only include here ones we recommend.

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Books new to our TBR:

• Save Me Stranger by Erika Krouse (I will read anything Louise Erdrich tells me to read)

• Memories of the Memories of the Black Rose Cat by Veeraporn Nitiprapha (thanks to this post)

• We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama (thanks to this post)

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The 2025 ad astra Readership Challenge: “Show up for BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ authors, content creators, and publishing employees.”

We’ve all seen the calls on social media to follow, engage with, and support BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ content creators and authors. (Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone is doing so, as made evident by some of the folks promoting Dream Count.) In addition to being truthfully and intentionally aware of this online, it’s important to financially show support, too, as well as advocating for a more equitable industry.

• Preorder your anticipated reads. This signals demand to publishers and booksellers, leading them to increase print and order runs, and can help the authors secure new book deals and larger advances/marketing budgets in the future. You can also request that your library adds the book to their catalog. (Here are tips on finding stories beyond what’s “trendy”—aka, often what publishers put budget into, which historically are stories by white, cishet writers)

• Buy their books and/or check them out at the library. Again, help show demand for the book, and help the author earn out their advance.

• Support unions. Unions often work to increase pay and commitments to DEI, important for an industry that, as mentioned earlier, is extremely white, largely exists in the most expensive cities, and doesn’t pay a living wage. A great way to start is by following them on social media: @hcpunion, @barnesandnobleunion, @oupusaguild, and @xoxopublishinggg (the latter is not a union, but often shares information about strikes). Here, you can learn more about strike terms and how to support staff pushing for better rights.

• Support BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled-owned bookstores. In addition to being phenomenal spaces, these stores often champion writers from systemically excluded communities. Libro.fm has a great map to help find a store near you.

• Engage with your favorite authors and creators. Follow and amplify them on social media, sign up for their newsletters, write to their publishers in support of their books, read their writing in literary journals, nominate them for any readers-choice awards, etc.

• Financially support your favorite authors and creators. Become a paid subscriber of their newsletter or Patreon. See a contribution link in their bio? Show them your support that way, too.

About the challenge -

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Folks who complete all the prompts by EOY will be entered to win a $100 gift card to their indie bookstore of choice. Those who finish at least six of the prompts will receive an exclusive ad astra sticker. In December, we'll share a submission link to complete as proof of participation. (Our downloadable tracker will be helpful for this!)

Want to participate? Join our Broadcast Channel on Instagram, follow our newsletter, and get your friends to join!

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Other publishing updates:

• Curious how tariffs will impact publishing? We’ve outlined that and other administration decisions here.

• The Educational Bookshop in Jerusalem was raided again. Bookselling is not a crime.

• Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student and activist, was disappeared by ICE. His documented support for Palestinian freedom is being used against him as a criminal record (something that is not criminal behavior in the court of law). Take action to demand his release. (You might be wondering: What does this have to do with publishing? In some ways, it absolutely doesn’t, but it is incredibly important. It might also make you question what will happen to authors and writers who share opposing beliefs to this administration. Another great Morrison quote? “We all know nations that can be identified by the flight of writers from their shores. These are regimes whose fear of unmonitored writing is justified because truth is trouble.”)

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share with friends, and consider subscribing if you have not yet already. Also, in case you missed it, we have launched prints! Learn more and place an order here.

We’ll be back in a few weeks with the latest publishing updates.

Xx,

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Volume XLVI: Bookselling Is not a Crime…And Yet

The history—and present—of criminalized booksellers

Introduction

Saturday February 22, 2025 was #BooksellingIsNotACrimeDay, a day meant to spotlight the right to read and support The Educational Bookshop in Jerusalem. Throughout history, bookselling has been criminalized, right alongside the censoring of books.

On February 9, 2025, Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna, booksellers at the two Educational Bookshops in Jerusalem, were arrested by the Israeli police and accused of inciting terrorism. The bookstores serve as a space to uplift Palestinian culture through literature and cafe offerings.

“Every day booksellers, librarians, publishers and writers are censored in almost every country around the world. Some are jailed, some see their work banned and others are driven out of business by subtler means. We must rally to protect the freedom to read, which includes the freedom to run a bookshop. Booksellers are not criminals. Instead, like all booksellers, Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna are a beacon of light in this dark world,” wrote Sophie O’Reirdan of Pluto Press.

And this is exactly what Pluto Press and Saqi Books aimed to showcase on February 22: that despite them being beacons—or, often, because they are beacons—booksellers are criminalized. And with the Trump administration’s various executive orders on gender identity and the Department of Education calling book bans a “hoax,” would it really be a surprise if bookselling—just like librarianship—grows more dangerous?

So much of the media attention on book bans centers schools and libraries—and understandably so, given the rate at which challenges are being brought forward in these spaces. But in this newsletter, we’re sharing examples through history and the present of bookselling as a crime, as well as spotlighting what folks did then to fight back and what we can do now.

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A Deeper Look

Bookselling dates back centuries, all the way to BCE. Supposedly, as libraries started and wealthy individuals desired personal libraries, bookselling grew into an official profession. Censorship has also been happening since this time, with empires aiming to police its people and ensure those in power stayed in power. And while not technically bookselling, we know the distribution of materials that go against those in power has been condemned by empires and countries across the globe.

In 17th century France, King Louis XIV attempted to censor bookselling, confiscating any books that criticized the government and church. In 1959, Los Angeles bookstore owner Eleazor Smith was convicted for selling “obscene” and “indecent” books. (It didn’t even matter if Eleazor was unaware of what was in all the books he was selling). In 1984, officers raided London’s beloved Gay’s the Word bookstore, as well as the homes of store employees. They were charged with “conspiracy to import indecent and obscene material.” In 1985, an amendment to Virginia statute made it illegal for any store—including bookstores—to “knowingly display” products that are “harmful to juveniles” in areas accessible to teens and children.

And we can’t talk about criminalized bookselling without discussing the historic surveillance of Black-owned bookstores. In 1835, a mob burnt down the first (recorded) Black-owned bookstore in the U.S. Owned by David Ruggles, an organizer behind what would eventually become the Underground Railroad, the store was stocked with abolitionist and feminist texts, also housing a reading room and lending library. The space was free for city visitors—a way of telling those escaping enslavement that they were safe in the store (which even ended up helping Frederick Douglass).

In 1960, Marcus Books opened in San Francisco, named after Marcus Garvey. The store not only sold books, but served as a meeting place. In 1976, they opened a second location in Oakland and began facing threats, in part due to the FBI’s COINTELPRO program which formed shortly after the Black Panther Party started. COINTELPRO claimed to operate to “neutralize” political dissent, targeting “radical” national groups. The FBI director put out orders to “locate and identify black extremist and/or African-type bookstores in its territory and open separate discreet investigations on each to determine if it is extremist in nature.” They even aimed to recruit Black individuals to spy on and surveil these stores. (Yep.)

(There’s so much more to the surveillance of Black-owned bookstores, which you can learn about in this 2018 article from The Atlantic. Tiny Rep Books also has an upcoming release—Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore—by NBC News Reporter, Char Adams, which you can preorder.)

More recently, a 2023 law in Texas aimed to require bookstores to rate and review books according to “sexual content” in order to sell to school libraries. Those that didn’t comply would be censured and prohibited from selling books to schools. In Arkansas, a law aimed to criminalize booksellers and librarians for providing “harmful” materials to minors. Such (vaguely deemed) materials would have to be moved to areas inaccessible by children. Those who were charged could face up to one year in prison.

And just days after Israeli police raided and arrested employees of the Educational Bookshop, police raided bookstores across Kashmir, seized 668 books, and ordered employees to stop selling them going forward. Police claimed they are preventing “the circulation of banned literature.”

Now, of course all of this is on top of censorship in other forms throughout history and the present—preventing enslaved individuals from learning how to read or write, book burnings by the Nazis, the Comstock Act, and the ongoing bans school and public libraries are facing, as well as threats to librarians’ safety. And, of course, there’s “soft censorship”—when something is not outright censored (such as when a book is removed from a library), but still made hard to access or otherwise unavailable. Or when other white supremacist actions, such as gentrification or “urban renewal,” force Black and Brown-owned businesses to shutter.

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Ways to Respond

We’ve spoken at length before on how readers can fight book bans, specifically the importance of speaking out at school and library board meetings. But fighting the criminalization of booksellers can’t follow the exact same formula; these are independently-owned businesses, nothing reliant on community taxes. (Of course, this doesn’t mean bans in schools and libraries are “justified” in any way because they are funded by taxes.)

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Click through many of the links connected to the examples above, and you’ll learn about their ensuing legal battles. In response to Los Angeles bookseller Eleazor Smith’s conviction, Smith vs. California ruled that it violated the first amendment rights of the seller. Virginia v. American Booksellers Association ruled that booksellers have to take “reasonable” steps to prevent “harmful” materials from juvenile access—but not absolute prevention. In Texas and Arkansas, both library and bookseller advocacy organizations, as well as organizations like the ACLU, were at the forefront of fighting the censorship attempts.

Communities have also rallied behind stores, and many stores, such as LGBTQIA+-owned shops, have adapted during times of difficulty to stay open—taking on additional revenue streams via cafes or events, housing a selection of new genres, or even fundraising. But also, prejudice and racism have led many to not—a key reason why Marcus Books had to close their San Francisco location. (Now, the city no longer has a Black-owned bookstore.)

When booksellers in France were instructed to no longer sell books that Louis XIV’s rule deemed inappropriate, they developed a code system to ensure that these books could still be purchased. When neighborhoods lack access to independent bookstores, mobile stores like Bronx Bound Books have helped make stories more accessible and affordable. When bans prevent incarcerated individuals from accessing books, many bookstores have launched models to help get stories to them.

As readers, we can help bookstores do all of the above:

• We can fundraise for legal battles, spread the word about hearings, and show up in court to demonstrate we are on their side. We might even look into providing or signing onto an amicus brief.

• We can protest, and contact our representatives at a local and state level to voice our opinions.

• We can divest from Amazon and shop directly from independent bookstores (in person and online), and turn to Amazon alternatives for our digital reading. LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled-owned stores especially need support amidst Trump’s legislation and book banning’s focus on gender identity, sexuality, and white supremacy.

• We can support movements like #BooksellingIsNotACrimeDay, spreading the word on social media and in our communities, sharing fundraisers, and encouraging our indies to participate.

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Final Musings

History repeats itself; as we can see from these few examples of attacks on bookstores, they’ve happened time and time again. What we’re seeing today is not new, even if the tactics surrounding the criminalization of booksellers might be, and even if they’re happening at an increased level.

But those in the past didn’t have all the tools we have today to fight these ridiculous attempts at censorship. We have the platforms to build mass movements, and the knowledge of all those who have come before us. Academic Robert Darnton argues that the circulation of forbidden books played a pivotal role in the launching of the French Revolution, as people learned more about corruption in the government—which comes as no surprise. There is a reason why many governments encourage book bans and censorship, after all. We too must keep sharing what we learn through the books we read, and working to ensure that everyone has access to stories. Reading is, after all, a catalyst for revolution.

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We will be back in a few weeks with a dive into a recent read and resources for another prompt in our Readership Challenge. In the meantime, make sure to check out our reading-themed prints for a cause, free downloads (wallpapers, templates, and more), and our exclusive downloads for newsletter subscribers (with password newsletterdownloads). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email, the comments below, or Instagram DM.

Xx,

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