Palmer Trinity School

Today, Kaplan serves as a literary channel, a notion he would no doubt scoff at, but nevertheless rings true. Igniting literary passion in others is his role, and he does so by honoring literary culture. From the first location in Coral Gables in 1983, he opened a second location in 1989 on Lincoln Road in South Beach. From there it was in quick succession to The Bal Harbour Shops, and Cayman Islands Camana Bay Store locations. His vision of what an independent bookstore could be has remained the same throughout his decades in business. Author events, a knowledgeable staff, and a dizzying array of literature has created the Books & Books signature sense of community: "You really need to have your roots deep in the community. That's what distinguishes us from other retail entities that sell books. We must make note of that and celebrate it whenever we can." Educating readers while simultaneously discrediting the idea that reading is only a solitary event may be Kaplan's greatest business success. A personal benefit for Kaplan? "Meeting major writers of the last twenty-five years like Vonnegut, Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, and others," he says. The tag line for Books & Books is Independently Owned. Independent Minded. Community Oriented. Mitchell's community work centers on the Miami Book Fair, which he helped found in 1984. He served as the co-chair that year and has continued as co-chair for every year since. His main area is in programming and selection of authors. His community work also extends to the Miami Public Library Foundation Board. In addition, Kaplan has served as president of the American Booksellers Association, and presently serves on the Board of the American Booksellers Foundation for free expression. It was Palmer Trinity's community-mindedness that was a deciding feature when his boys were looking at schools. "The school clearly gives a sense of community and quality of community—Rachelle (Kaplan) and I really searched for this. And the sense of diversity was important too. PTS is a very welcoming place to all families." Kaplan is happy that his boys are excelling at PTS. Daniel is developing his love of guitar, such that attending music school when he graduates is a possibility. Jonah loved his Public Speaking course, and both boys have found their own place on the varsity basketball team. Not surprisingly, the school's approach to reading was a major factor in the decision making process: "Even before we applied, we were impressed with the quality of the summer reading list. This spoke very loudly as to the school's sensibility." Kaplan says. "The truth is, the importance of reading to education can never be underestimated." "Reading allows for contemplation and access to knowledge." -Mitchell Kaplan 25

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