Coeur d’Alene Library Hiding Book Bandit Highlighted on Colbert
A Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, public library spokesperson says someone keeps hiding books that explore progressive politics or criticize President Trump.
These books are not being taken. They are being hidden. In the library. Not in a nook or cranny, but usually in a section of fiction that is furthest from the librarian's vantage point.
The book hider story has made it into The New York Times and onto The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, maybe because a book Colbert helped put together for charity is on the hider's list.
A mini-manifesto left in the library comment box some time ago from the hider states: "I am going to continue hiding these books in the most obscure places I can find to keep this propaganda out of the hands of young minds. Your liberal angst gives me great pleasure."
The incidents have been randomly occurring over the last year, even yet again after the showering of national attention. Targeted works cover a wide range of topics, from gun control and women’s suffrage to LGBTQ issues and how people of color fare in the criminal justice system. About half the books specifically deal with President Trump.
Some of the titles on the list include, "Fire And Fury" by Michael Wolff (It's been moved and re-located the most, by far); "Guns Down: How To Defeat The NRA And Build A Safer Future With Fewer Guns"; "Enemies Of The State: The Radical Right In America From FDR To Trump"; "It’s Time To Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build A Lasting Majority In American Politics"; “Impeachment: An American History”; “White Kids: Growing Up With Privilege In A Racially-Divided America”; “Punishment Without Crime: How Our Massive Misdemeanor System Traps The Innocent And Makes America More Unequal”; and...
“Whose Boat Is This Boat?: Comments That Don’t Help In The Aftermath Of A Hurricane" the book put together for charity by the host of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
Here's the original piece from Colbert:
And here's last Wednesday's follow up:
And here's a shot of the book that is impossible to hide, we think, arriving at the Coeur d'Alene library.
Your move, bookie bandit.
Read a book. Listen to the radio. That is all.