Penguin Random House | New York, 10/16/2023

‘Banned Wagon Tour’ Draws 2,000 People

During Banned Books Week, a Penguin Random House bookmobile traveled the southern states of the U.S. to advocate for freedom of expression and against the removal of controversial books from school libraries. The bookmobile was packed with banned books – and close to 2,000 people came to see it, learn more, and take home banned books.

Between October 1 and 7, numerous associations and organizations in the U.S. once again advocated for freedom of expression and against the removal of controversial books from school libraries during “Banned Books Week.” One of the activities was the “Banned Wagon Tour” organized by Penguin Random House in cooperation with the Freedom to Read Foundation, the writers’ association PEN America, and the Little Free Library reading initiative. The partners sent a bookmobile packed with banned Penguin Random House books through several states across the southern U.S. And nearly 2,000 people visited the bookmobile, got information about the topic, and took banned books home with them.

The PRH bookmobile traveled from Atlanta (Georgia) to Nashville (Tennessee), New Orleans (Louisiana), and Houston (Texas), regions where a particularly large number of books are being removed – i.e. banned – from public libraries as undesirable or objectionable. The bookmobile partnered with independent booksellers on the ground – Charis Books & More in Atlanta, The Bookshop in Nashville, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, and Kindred Stories in Houston – who also organized accompanying author events. In all, 2,372 banned books were distributed to adults, teens and children in the affected regions during the tour. On its way through the South, the bookmobile also stocked Little Free Library’s book exchange boxes, set up in many locations, with banned books.

The Banned Wagon carried titles from all six Penguin Random House divisions, with “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “The Magic Fish” by Trung Le Nguyen being the most requested titles. The tour garnered national media coverage across digital, broadcast, radio, and print. Highlights of the coverage include a 4-minute in-depth report on NBC News, a segment on New Orleans’ NPR station WWNO, articles in “The Tennessean” and the “Houston Chronicle,” and a FOX5 interview with Atlanta’s special guest author, Nic Stone.