Thanks to the folks over at Bookslut for turning me on to this.
The Banned Books Cafe has officially opened in San Antonio. San Antonio? Wait a minute. This can’t be the San Antonio I’m thinking of. That San Antonio is in Texas! I didn’t know Texas even had books. Wouldn’t those nasty, subversive things clutter up the knick-knack shelf? Take up valuable space where a TV or the skull of a long-horn cow might sit?
Intrigued by the seemingly impossible though that there might actually be a bookstore in Texas, and a banned books one at that, I decided to visit the site. Can you say interest-at-first-sight? Right there at the top of the first page is the God of Gonzo, Hunter S.; that wiggy hat, the dark glasses, a cigarette in one hand and bottle of Heineken in the other. That image alone endears the site to someone like me who read Fear and Loathing so many times the book disintegrated.
Reading further down the page I find that, sure enough, it’s the San Antonio in Texas. The cafe is run by Claudia and Michael Cary, who I’m sure ended up on Mr. Bush’s hit list within moments of opening their doors. Be mindful of what you discuss on the phone, Claudia and Michael.
They also run a blog by the same name: bannedbookscafe. Much of the content is local but still worth the read.
