In the 2024-25 school year, Texas ranked No. 2 in the nation with over 1,700 book bans, according to free speech organization PEN America. Many of these books have themes of race, gender, sexuality, and LGBTQIA. While these kinds of diverse stories are under attack in Texas, nonprofit Put It in a Book is saving shelf space for them.
Katrina and Eric Brooks, owners of the independent bookstore Black Pearl Books, founded their business after noticing a lack of representation in bookstores and public libraries.
“A lot of that just came from me working and having to be very intentional about finding books for my kids,” Katrina, who is Black, explained. “And so that was kind of the spark, built out of a need to see ourselves represented.”
In 2021, they launched the nonprofit with the goal of giving a voice to all marginalized groups and making diverse literature accessible.
Since the launch, Put It in a Book has collaborated with Austin ISD high schools through the nonprofit’s Right to Read program. It allows students to participate in an on-campus banned book club, where Austin ISD selects the book and PIIAB provides copies free of charge. Recent selections include The Handmaid’s Tale and Last Night at The Telegraph Club. PIIAB has also connected diverse authors with students at Title 1 schools through the H.O.S.T. (Honoring Our Students and Teachers) program.
Karen Terry, school counselor at Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy, coordinated an author visit with PIIAB this fall. Jasminne Mendez, a Dominican-American author, read aloud to students from her new book The Story of My Anger and spoke about her inspirations for writing. Each student was gifted a book copy from PIIAB.
Terry says the H.O.S.T. program has opened up a window of possibilities for students to think about in the future.
“We try to invite different authors to our campus that represent the student population,” Terry said. “And they serve as an inspiration for our girls to find their place in the world and to actually motivate them to be all that they can be.”
Katrina Brooks says her advocacy for literacy and inclusivity stems from seeing representation in magazines at a pivotal time.
“Ebony, Jet – those were really popular magazines when I was coming up. That’s where I saw representation,” Brooks said. While the nonprofit has mainly focused on children’s literacy, Brooks and the new executive director, Charley Rejsek, have goals to bridge a gap in elderly reading support.
“We do a lot with children in the schools, but that’s another very important and vibrant part of the community at large, this generation of people who have paved the way for us to exist and do the things that we do,” she said.
This article appears in November 28 • 2025.