Books sold out quickly as many lined up to have their purchased copies of “Give us the Ballot” signed by senior contributor for “The Nation” Ari Berman on Saturday afternoon at Barnes & Noble at Lake Sumter Landing.
Villages Democratic Club member Marsha Shearer expressed how excited she was with the fantastic turnout for the first progressive author to ever visit The Villages. She also praised Barnes & Noble for their cooperation in inviting Berman.
“Give us the Ballot,” Shearer explained, is a non-partisan novel that applies to everyone who is concerned with voting rights and sets a “civil discourse.”
She later explained that it is ultimately not an issue with political parties, but about having the presence of important authors who write relevant books that address pressing issues in society.
Villages Democratic Club president Lyn Margolis said she was really thrilled with Berman’s book signing.
With 18,000 registered Democrats in The Villages, Margolis and Shearer felt accomplished as the store had to order 350 books for the event in addition to 53 books that were pre-ordered by those out of town.
Taking a brief break to speak to the large crowd, Berman greeted fans and joked that he was “making history in The Villages” due to his appearance. He also assured attendants that he would encourage his liberal colleagues to visit Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
Berman explained that the book signing took place on a significant day as it marked three years since the Supreme Court struck down an important section of the Voting Rights Act.
After encouraging attendees to bring awareness to the issues limiting the Voting Rights Act’s capabilities, Berman left the audience with three key ideas: “voting is a right not a privilege,” “Democracy is better off with more participation,” and that it was “fundamentally immoral” to win by preventing people from voting.
Many who attended shared the same sentiments as Village of Tamarind Grove residents Carolyn and Erwin Freed who said that they loved Berman’s visit and felt enthusiastic about attending a book signing of an author of their choice.
“It’s about time,” said Phil Fulco of the Village of St. James in regard to Berman’s visit, who later stated that more visiting progressive authors would bring out a lot of Democrats in The Villages.
