Saturday, November 9, 2024

Shelving a naughty hit

Literature has always had a tendency to run afoul of moral guardians — the folks who, whether in governments, schools or themselves, want to protect “society” from dangerous words. British author E. L. James’ steamy bondage-themed romance 50 Shades of Grey is no exception. Breverd County, Florida’s library won national attention for “banning” the bestseller, before caving in to the demands of its patrons, and other libraries in Georgia and North Carolina have turned up their noses as well. Around here, though? No one seems scared of a little kinkiness on the public shelves. The Monroe County Library has declined to purchase it, but Toledo-Lucas County Public Library has over 120 copies, which is still not enough to meet the demand. “We won’t take the position of ‘banning’ a book,” says TLCPL’s Rhonda Sewell.

Literature has always had a tendency to run afoul of moral guardians — the folks who, whether in governments, schools or themselves, want to protect “society” from dangerous words. British author E. L. James’ steamy bondage-themed romance 50 Shades of Grey is no exception. Breverd County, Florida’s library won national attention for “banning” the bestseller, before caving in to the demands of its patrons, and other libraries in Georgia and North Carolina have turned up their noses as well. Around here, though? No one seems scared of a little kinkiness on the public shelves. The Monroe County Library has declined to purchase it, but Toledo-Lucas County Public Library has over 120 copies, which is still not enough to meet the demand. “We won’t take the position of ‘banning’ a book,” says TLCPL’s Rhonda Sewell.

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