<p><strong>If books didn't matter, nobody would try to ban them.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>In a nation struggling to cope with polarization, disinformation, acrimony, the power of books-to inform, enlighten, and inspire-is more important than ever. To honor Joyce Meskis, the legendary bookseller who founded Denver's Tattered Cover and became a champion of First Amendment freedoms, a team including some of today's leading publishers, booksellers, authors, and free speech activists offers reflections on the vital role of books in our nation's cultural, civic, social, and economic life.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><em>Why Books Still Matter&nbsp;</em>includes:</p><p><br></p><p><strong>U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper&nbsp;</strong>on bookselling as a mission-driven form of entrepreneurship-a way of nurturing communities and enriching culture while helping city economies flourish</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Freedom of speech activist Chris Finan&nbsp;</strong>on a century of battles against censorship and the crucial role of books and booksellers in defending liberty</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Book marketing guru Carl Lennertz&nbsp;</strong>on how a generation of innovative booksellers transformed the magical process by which authors and readers discover one another</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Bookseller Clara Villarosa&nbsp;</strong>on creating one of the nation's greatest Black-owned bookstores-and why representation on the printed page is so important for Americans of every background</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Librarians Nick Higgins and Amy Mikel&nbsp;</strong>on why they decided to make banned books available to young people from communities across the U.S.-and how they did it</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Civil liberties attorney Steve Zansberg&nbsp;</strong>on a new way to think about the right to free expression and its vital role in a democratic society</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Bookseller Carole Horne&nbsp;</strong>on how independent bookstores from Cambridge to Austin to Salt&nbsp;&nbsp;Lake City pioneered the "buy local" movement, glorifying what makes every city and town unique</p><p><br></p><p>. . . and other noteworthy figures from the worlds of publishing and bookselling providing unique insights into the glorious past, the embattled present, and the essential future of books.&nbsp;All proceeds will be donated to the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom.</p>