Boycotting may or may not be effective, but I do think calling them out on a transparent cave-in is warranted. This was my reply to their Facebook post:

Dear Reed's,

What is best for all the fine universities in our state is certainly not to pretend that the truth isn't what it is. Steve Robertson has done the state of Mississippi a service by uncovering deep and wanton corruption in an institution partially funded by your own tax dollars. He did the research the leading state media refused to do, stood firm in the face of lies and threats, and produced a book that achieved a number one ranking. He is a successful Mississippi author and deserves to be recognized for his work.

Your decision to cancel a signing event isn't really about celebrating the best in our universities. It is about enabling the pettiness of people who want to pretend the lies they swallowed for so long haven't been laid bare. You have caved to a reality-rejecting population who need a maroon devil to blame for red and blue sins.

Your justification for cancelling is weak, unconvincing, and transparent. For a retailer with generations of customers in the state, perhaps you can best understand people's reaction to your disappointing spinelessness in this form: "Nobody is buying what you're selling."

Good luck.