Trent Talbot is a delightful young man. A Millennial who is helping to transform the culture–in a good way. I was surprised at how young he actually is, which makes his accomplishments in building a conservative publishing company even more huge. For those not in the know, Talbot is the founder and CEO of Brave Books, the children’s book publisher that uses conservative influencers and thought leaders as catalysts for stories that teach children conservative principles, patriotism, and traditional values. Talbot is an educated and trained ophthalmologist–Dr. Brave to you and me. That’s a distinct medical specialty that requires years of study and is not something you lay down easily. But Talbot was inspired to start Brave Books after the birth of his daughter, and in 2021 the inspiration was borne into reality.
From Talbot’s LinkedIn profile:
I started BRAVE Books because after my daughter was born I realized there was a war going on for the hearts and minds of our children and the wrong side was winning. It’s time that conservative parents who want to teach their children conservative and American values had an arsenal of tools in their toolbox.
Talbot decided to be part of the solution and supply that arsenal of tools in a creative and engaging way.
BRAVE Books is unlike any book series before it with an in-depth universe, a courageous cast of characters, and multi-year plot that will take families on a journey through this exciting world where they help defend Freedom Island and learn real American values.
Talbot discussed the evolution of the Brave Books concept and how it sparked a movement among parents and grandparents hungry for material that would speak the truth, assisting them in training their children in traditional values and the real foundations of our representative republic.
“The idea of going on that adventure and fighting that fight was just too intriguing to pass up. I decided to go for it. And the Lord’s blessed us every step of the way. We’ve brought just an incredible team together at Brave that’s allowed us to have a lot of success. And I I think we’re making a difference.”
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New dad, new business venture, and the new challenges those bring can quickly take their toll. I asked Talbot if he had a guiding principle that anchored the corporation, and his life and family.
“Well, you know, I try to live my life by first, I put my relationship with God, and then my wife, and then with my kids. Next comes my church, and then work. And so that’s the way I have my personal priorities and I encourage all the employees at Brave to do the same thing. And then, as far as the priorities for us as a company, you know, we want to glorify God in everything that we do, and we just want to help build a strong generation that can discern right from wrong and good from evil, and are equipped with truth.”
With the younger Millennials and Gen Z, it’s become triage. They are the groups that have been poured into and indoctrinated to the eyeteeth with a WOKE, anti-American, and anti-traditional family agenda. But Generation Alpha and beyond offers hope–if we take up the fight. The Brave Books’ Freedom Island Tour, featuring Kirk Cameron with other Brave Books authors, has taken over libraries with their own story hours. These programs feature reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and along with the title authors, involve singing and even appearances from other conservative voices and activists like Riley Gaines, Sheriff Mark Lamb, and Coach Joe Kennedy. Since Cameron helped kick off this tour in February, it has been a rousing success, despite protestations from the disparate wings of the Alphabet Mafia. The partnership with Cameron has been gold for the publisher, injecting an element of fun, while adding a new cache to the brand.
“There was a real need. There is a need for a brand out there that Christian conservative parents and grandparents can trust with their children’s imaginations. Yeah, parents have just fallen in love. Parents and kids have fallen in love with the brand, and they know exactly what we’re about. And you know, we’re not a novelty. We’re here to stay. And I think we’re going to do great things.”
Countering and even reversing the ick of Drag Queen story hours is no small feat. So, from that alone, Talbot has already done great things, and as Brave Books continues to rise in prominence, respect, and vision, will no doubt do many more.
Talbot takes a multipronged approach in choosing the conservatives and personalities to author the books.
“Sometimes we have a topic that we really want to hit and then we’ll go out and we’ll reach out to people that we think are like great spokespeople for that topic, you know. So, like John Solomon, his topic was censorship. And you know, we think he’s a great person who knows all about censorship. He’s been in media for a long time and knows all about the importance of a free press. And that’s really what that book was about. I can’t remember if he reached out to us or we reached out to him, but sometimes people will just reach out and say, ‘hey, I love what you are doing. I want to do a book.’ Then we’ll like: What topics are you passionate about? Then we’ll let them sort of lead.”
While the authors help make the world of Freedom Island more three-dimensional, the blueprint is all Talbot’s brainchild.
Team Brave Graphic (Credit: Brave Books)
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Talbot’s vision involves more than just a world of books and involves a 50-100 year plan. That’s quite forward-thinking. Could a Freedom Island Theme Park be part of its future? It’s not a far-off concept–we all know that Disney could use some competition.
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Map of Freedom Island (Credit: Brave Books)
The Old Testament book of Joel says that in the last days, our young men will see visions and our old men will dream dreams. It’s looking very “last days” in our world of late, but it’s obvious that Trent Talbot has great vision about how to navigate it. Talbot is leading Brave Books as it expands and grows in scope, while transforming the culture and giving conservative families hope for their children’s and their country’s future.