In 2024, freedom to read advocates notched several legal and legislative victories, raising hopes that after a yearslong, politically motivated surge in book banning, the tide might finally be turning. And no one has been more central to the publishing industry’s efforts to defend the freedom to read than Penguin Random House SVP Skip Dye.

At PRH, Dye leads a volunteer task force that has spearheaded several key First Amendment challenges in federal court. He has also assisted in drafting pro-library legislation. And this fall, he helped create and hire the first public policy manager at Penguin Random House (and possibly in the industry) to advocate for libraries and the freedom to read. Dye was also instrumental in creating the Book Resume Project with Unite Against Book Bans, a publicly available resource that provides information about commonly challenged books. And he has overseen the distribution of thousands of free banned books via the publisher’s national Banned Wagon tours.

“When book banning began to rise rapidly across the country a few years ago, Skip met the moment and galvanized stakeholders to advocate for libraries and to fight for the right to read and be read,” says PRH CEO Nihar Malavyia. “As someone who understands firsthand the impact that school and local libraries can have on people’s lives, Skip’s generosity, deep expertise, and tireless passion for enacting positive change is a source of motivation not only for those at Penguin Random House but across the industry.”

For his part, Dye is quick to credit the library community and his colleagues at PRH for their hard work, including Malaviya, who has not hesitated to commit significant PRH resources to defending the freedom to read. And he acknowledges that after more than three wearying years of sharp political attacks, the battle over book bans is far from over—especially as many fear what a second Trump administration might unleash.

Dye remains undaunted, and he urges his fellow publishers and advocates to stay strong. “As you know, I don’t do this for accolades,” he says. “I do it because it is the right thing to do. This is about our First Amendment. If we don’t confront this threat, it will change our business forever,” he says.

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