How the US Capitol attacks have affected booksellers

Last Wednesday’s terror attack on the US Capitol is having an effect on bookshelves.

The New York Times reports that Amazon has removed the novel The Turner Diaries from its website, without comment on the decision.

Previously, the book was available with a disclaimer calling it “a racist, white supremacist fantasy” that had inspired domestic terrorists.

Neo-Nazi leader William Luther Pierce’s novel, published under the name Andrew Macdonald, depicts a white supremacist group’s attempt to overthrow the US government, starting at the Capitol.

Since its release in 1978, it has been cited as the inspiration for at least forty terror attacks and hate crimes, including the January 6 siege of the Capitol, according to the NY Times.

Another well-known bookseller — Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon — has also had to make a decision on controversial authors’ works.

The Oregonian reports that Powell’s will not physically stock Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy by controversial right-wing activist Andy Ngo.

It will, however, continue to offer the book in its online catalog, as part of its commitment to free speech.

Powell’s explained in a tweet that while it hand-picks some of its books, others are fed automatically by partners — in this instance, Hachette Book Group, whose imprint is publishing the book.