Stenciled on the bookbag on Valerie’s chair in the photo are the words “Dangerous Women Read Banned Books.”

Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and a member of AAUW West Harris County Branch, has been recognized by the Houston Chronicle as the Thumbs Everyday Texas Hero for 2023 for “her brave and clear-headed arguments that protected booksellers from government overreach” – the bill otherwise known as HB 900. In defense of banned books and the freedom of the people to read, Valerie joined a suit that “blocked a law requiring bookstores to label books with sexual content, including such classics as Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove.” She was also recognized by Publishers Weekly as one of two 2023 People of the Year.

Click on this link for that entire story.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/93965-pw-s-people-of-the-year-valerie-koehler-and-charley-rejsek.html

Congratulations, Valerie, and thank you for upholding AAUW values for women and girls!