How Half Price Books is Staying Vigilant in the Fight Against Censorship

Though book bans aren’t new, many researchers and insiders in the book business agree that censorship efforts seem to be increasing. We at the Observer know this, too, which is why this year’s Best of Dallas issue is themed around banned books.

Ahead of Banned Books Week, which is Oct. 5-11, local literacy advocates insist the fight against censorship must persist year-round.

“We’re talking about it every month because […]  it is more challenging, and I think when the lawmakers make these laws, they really don’t understand what the ramifications are. What it’s doing is limiting exposure,” Kathy Thomas, Half Price Books president, tells us. “[Lawmakers] need to hear that not everybody believes in a certain ideology – there are people who think it is okay to have diversity and different points of view.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the retailer hosted a banned books panel at its flagship spot on Northwest Highway in Dallas to raise awareness. Laney Hawes, co-director of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, and writer Brinda Shah of Authors Against Book Bans joined Thomas at the event to discuss the latest issues in conversation with writer Alex Temblador.

A new Texas law allows school districts to establish library advisory councils, authorizing school boards and parents to weigh in on book selections. Proponents of Senate Bill 13, which also requires that parents have access to the school library catalog and allows them to prevent their child from reading certain titles, herald it as bolstering parental rights. Meanwhile, some critics say the law will only increase the strain on teachers and parents. What’s more, an Observer reporter was recently kicked out of one of these library council meetings in Coppell ISD. Normal, clearly. 

As a mother of four kids in Texas public schools, Hawes says she became involved in book advocacy in 2021 when dozens of titles were removed from her children’s school libraries.

“My kids’ rights were being violated and I wasn’t going to sit back and watch it happen,” Hawes says. “Books are really important to me as a parent. As parents, we don’t have all the answers, nor have we lived all the experiences. Books open up that world for our kids. Books will make them more prepared to navigate the world around them, they will help them be better problem solvers, they will have more compassion, and they’ll realize the world extends far beyond their bubbles.”

She urges community members to speak up, learn about policies and engage in thoughtful conversations. Thomas’ call to action mirrors Hawes’ encouragement to participate on a local level and write to lawmakers.

“ Stay involved. Talk to the librarian at the school, find out what challenges they’re willing to share,” Thomas says.

She also recommends seeking out activist groups, like the Texas Freedom to Read Project. The group promotes initiatives fighting for students’ rights and against book censorship. Shah’s organization, Authors Against Book Bans, seeks to form chapters and promote the freedom to read nationwide.

“The greatest challenges are the fear, wild accusations and lies being perpetrated surrounding the content in book[s] and trying to move beyond that hysteria to have the important, nuanced, thoughtful conversations that need to be had surrounding books, ideas, censorship and children,” Hawes says.

At Half Price Books, where Thomas has worked for over 30 years, there’s a longstanding tradition of hosting a variety of events spanning genres. According to the company’s mission statement, Co-Founders Pat Anderson and Ken Gjemre sought to “promote literacy” and “be kind to the environment. “

“Our heritage and what we’ve been supporting for 53 years has always been freedom [of] ideas,” Thomas says. “Freedom to read anything you want and promoting different authors and different ideologies and different themes.”

This year’s Banned Books Week, presented by the American Library Association (ALA) and an international literacy coalition, centers on the theme “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” This is a reference to George Orwell’s 1984, a cautionary tale about censorship, and one that has been not-so-coincidentally banned in some schools.

“The 2025 theme of Banned Books Week serves as a reminder that censorship efforts persist to this day,” ALA President Cindy Hohl says. “We must always come together to stand up for the right to read.”

The annual awareness campaign presented by the ALA has been active since 1982, when it launched amid an increase in book challenges in libraries, schools and bookstores, according to the ALA website. The organization’s website also lists resources and virtual events to engage with the effort nationwide and beyond, including Let Freedom Read Day on Oct. 11, which is a day meant for action against censorship.

“Fighting for the freedom to read is the responsibility of every single Texan,” Hawes says. “This can’t only be left up to organizations like ours. We need every Texan to take it upon themselves to make this a priority.”