Following his recent visit to Hendersonville, Tennessee for a “patriotic book event,” Kirk Cameron is now facing some backlash.
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According to Fox News, Cameron was in the Tennessee town for his recently published children’s book, As You Grow. However, the former Growing Pains star and his published Brave Books received pushback from the library during the event. A spokesperson from Brave Books told Fox News Digital that a head official at Hendersonville Public Library had been pushing back against the event all week.
“A head official realized this event was going to be much more than a typical story hour,” the spokesperson stated. “Noticing guests like Missy Robertson [of ‘Duck Dynasty’ fame] and [women’s sports advocate] Riley Gaines, the official at the library reached out to us informing us that the story hour would not be happening on the 25th.”
Brave Books’ spokesperson then said the official stated they did not want a movement coming to his library. However, the publisher insisted the event would occur as planned. On Wednesday, the library confirmed that due to the event growing beyond its capacity, it would be moved to a nearby church.
Kirk Cameron and His Team Were Welcomed By the Community For the Book Event
The Brave Books spokesperson then said that a head official at the library actually threatened to cancel the event. “The official at the library tried to say that too many people would be coming, and the library couldn’t handle it. As soon as the library’s board of directors and the community heard this, they were against this decision and the library staff backed down.”
The publisher then said it wasn’t sure what to expect when it arrived for the event. “But all we knew was that we were coming to the Hendersonville Public Library for this reading.”
Despite the pushback from the library official, the Brave Books spokesperson said when Kirk Cameron and his team arrived they were greeted with open arms from the community. However, the publisher claimed that the head of the library and their staff treated Cameron’s team terribly.
Trent Talbot, CEO of Brave Books, also emailed a statement about the situation with the Hendersonville Library. “A Hendersonville library director pushed back on our Freedom Island Tour event, calling it more than a story hour, a movement,” Talbot stated. “And he’s right. This is a movement.”
Talbot then said that he and Brave Books are fighting for the “hearts and minds” of children. The company is also fighting for institutions, including the library. “We will press on, but we need everyone’s help to keep going.”
Zac Bell, Brave Books’ Chief of Staff, noted that the publisher has done five different Freedom Island Story Hours. “We have yet to encounter a library staff quite like Hendersonville’s staff.”
Bell went on to add that it was clear that the library did not agree with Kirk Cameron’s message.
