Protecting the pure minds of children

Lizette Lantigua has always loved reading good books and encouraging others to read good books.

Yet when the former journalist volunteered at her three daughters’ school book fairs in southern Florida ten years ago, she was dismayed at some of the content available. The purpose of book fairs is to raise literacy and money, but these fairs raised concerns.

“There was some good material, but there was also violent, sexual, anti-Catholic, anti-American material,” Lantigua said. Sometimes it was blatant from start to finish, but there were also books with harmful content scattered throughout otherwise suitable literature. Lantigua also said “There was even a series in which the first two books were fine, but then the third one was really inappropriate. You really have to take it book-by-book.”

The saying that you can’t judge a book by its cover has repeatedly proven true to the Lantiguas. They have seen pleasant front covers and back covers with innocent-sounding blurbs that, unfortunately, do not accurately describe what is inside.

Those were the worst books, Lantigua recalls, “because they presented evil in a ‘friendly’ way, giving it a pseudo-legitimacy that most kids would not be able to decipher.” That deciphering element is what Lizette and her ever-expanding group of screening authors, librarians, and parents now specialize in.

Books with a Spine

Because Lantigua was concerned for the souls of her daughters and their classmates, she decided to start Good News! Book Fairs in 2015. She wanted to screen, or curate, the content of each book she would offer at the new fairs. While not all the material would be explicitly Catholic, Lantigua wanted to make sure none of it would be harmful to Catholics.

Among the inventory at Good News! are To the Heights: A Novel Based on the Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pocket Guide to the Holy Rosary, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Our Lady’s Wardrobe and Our Lady’s Picture Book. “We also have books on history, sports, plants, animals—all the things kids are interested in. The key is, even with books on those topics, we still adhere to a standard of decency that other vendors do not adhere to.”

Lizette’s husband, Adolfo, a Knight of Columbus with a telecommunications marketing background, joined the book business in 2018, making it a family affair. That was also the time in which the Lantiguas launched an online store called Good News! Book Shop, a general reseller for all ages. Business, cooking, travel, fiction, and, of course, faith, are among their featured book categories.

Before kids start buying business books, however, Adolfo knows they are often experiencing their first business transactions at book fairs. He said: “A book fair can be a monumental moment. Allowance money is used to purchase a book and then it becomes the child’s personal property. It’s a decision-making process that we want to ensure is a morally sound one.”

Getting All Booked Up

Scholastic Corporation, which started as a magazine publisher in the 1920s, ventured into books in the 1960s and then into school book fairs in the 1980s. They have nearly 9,000 employees with annual revenue well over one billion dollars. This means a near monopoly in fairs, which might be viewed as unfair.

While this David vs. Goliath scenario would scare some people, Adolfo and Lizette have solid reasons to be optimistic. Last year, despite the COVID-19 restrictions, they conducted 50 online fairs for 24 states and are set for over 100 in-person fairs this year.

Catholic, Protestant, charter, and classical schools form the Lantigua’s customer base right now, but public schools are on their radar. Good News! Book fairs have become so popular that the Lantiguas expanded from their original distribution center in Florida to another in Ohio in 2020, and are planning on opening more in Virginia, North Carolina, and Michigan.

Adolfo said: “We are also working with our advisory board to seek investors, and strategic partnerships to finance and build the necessary infrastructure.” This might include opening their own publishing company, which would eliminate logistical hurdles by shortening the supply chain.

A Future Full of Hope

Lizette, whose parents found refuge in the United States from Communist Cuba in the early 1960s, summarized, not only her situation, but the country’s situation. She said that she “totally understands disappointment and concern about how bad things have gotten,” but the one thing she doesn’t get is lethargy. “We can’t do everything, but we can do something, so we should make sure to do our part, however small it might seem. God will take care of the rest.”

The book certainly has not been closed on this story. For more information, visit: www.goodnewsbookfair.com

TRENT BEATTIE is a Legatus magazine contributing writer.