With Dennis Madison's passing comes a sad reminder of the closing
of his bookstore, Fahrenheit 451, two years ago.
Recently Laguna Beach also lost the Different Drummer bookstore,
and naturally it feels like we've done something wrong to let these
treasures go.
But perhaps these
passings can be seen as an inevitable outcome of their success.
Bookstores like these and the people who opened them are part of the
reason the public can find controversial or non-mainstream
publications more easily these days through mainstream outlets. The
fact that the stores exist gives larger book chains a clue that
there's money to be made by giving people a choice.
But while it feels like
we've come a long way in ridding America of the book-burning
mentality, we have to keep our eyes and minds open.
The next round of censored material won't likely be targeted for
sexual content. It doesn't seem too far fetched to hear about
"un-American" or "pro-terrorism" materials becoming hard to find or
just coming under attack.
But the powers that be should know that if it gets out of hand
there are more people like Dennis and Rob Merrell who will stand up
and shout in the form of opening another "controversial" bookstore.
And that bookstore very well may open right here in Laguna Beach.
