I worry about people who think the whole world needs to be kept at a level that is acceptable for children. There are actually adults out here, and some have need for advice about personal things, including sex, that are not part of a child's life.
Remember the category this "news" item was placed under? I think that this suggests a rational way to understand this bit of news.
Hummm, what would I do if my 17 or 13 year old found such a tome? Well, I sure would not sue my public library a single cent; this guy is digging for money in the pockets of his fellow taxpayers...shame on him. I would quietly bring it to the attention of a reference librarian and express my concern that while I affirm the right to have such a volume in the collection, that I think access to it should be restricted to adults.
BTW, this book is available at Colorado State University, but not at our local library (though I have seen several gay/lesbian books on the new book shelf.
I doubt that teenage boys need to know how to please lesbians in bed, but ... do you really think they came across this while looking for something about military academies? I mean, come on.
LOL! A simple, one word answer: no. Good grief, they are 14 and 16 year old boys...if the father does not understand that his boys are at nearly their maximum "horniness" then he is living in Fantasy Land.
And how did this happen? Did these boys check this book out and bring it home? Did they run home and tell their dad all the wonderful things they had read about? Did this come out after he questioned them about their insomnia? I have trouble picturing this, somehow.
Please...they saw it, took a peek, got aroused, and decided to check it and bring it home. Their dad probably does what my wife does periodically: he checked thru what they had checked out and got more than he bargained for in the process. LOL! While the Mrs. would have probably also blown a gasket, I can assure you all that yours truly would go to the "woodshed" first before anyone else would get called onto the carpet("...well, didn't you see what she had checked out???"..."uh, no, I was too busy checking out the new book shelf"). I do spot check here and there...with an emphasis on "spot" (think spotty and you get the idea), but I tend to try to be light handed in my approach to material.
A notable exception took place on Monday...and it was not even the library. My younger daughter received a video in the mail (rental); Dead Poets Society. It is rated PG so she thought it would be fine. When I saw that it was getting mailed because she had requested it, I decided to not allow her to watch it. I recall seeing the movie and while being moved by the story, being shaken by the ending. At this point I don't think it would be wise for her to see such a movie. I sat down with her after school and had a 45 discussion about the movie in which I assured her that she had done nothing wrong in renting it and wanting to see it, but that I (as her parent) thought it much too intense for her right now. Remarkably both of us kept our cool and with some reluctance she accepted my decision with grace (though she thought it was "stupid" to which I replied, "yes, you are entitled to feel that way, and I would probably feel the same way as well if I were you right now").
April 25, 2007 8:11 AM
Check out this story, carried here in the UK's Metro news site: A father in Arkansas is looking for $20,000 in compensation for his teenage sons, after they found a book in a public library called The Whole Lesbian Sex Book.
According to Earl Adams, his sons – aged 14 and 16 – were 'greatly disturbed' by Felice Newman's classic lesbian sex manual, described by its publishers as 'the most comprehensive sex guide available for lesbians.'
And now he is demanding $10,000 from the city of Bentonville for each boy. The volume has already been withdrawn from the library shelves, and the director of the library has resigned – although she is adamant she left for personal reasons, not in response to the complaints. Man seeks compensation for lesbian trauma If you follow the link, you will notice that there are several categories of topics at this British news site: Home News Sports MetroLife Fame Weird Pictures etc. You will also notice that this one is put in the section titled "Weird." Other stories in this category are 'Captain America' arrested over pants-burrito Pregnant cow in £17,000 rampage Drunk man rides horse into bank Old guy wins bet by not dying Camel sex destroying enormous fence etc. They may have the correct perspective on this mad dad in Arkansas.
More from the story: Adams said that the book is 'patently offensive and lacks any artistic, literary or scientific value.' Listen, can you imagine if books were removed from libraries on those grounds? Like, if libraries only stocked good books? One of my favorite authors is Nicholson Baker. His books are jam-packed with "artistic, literary, and scientific value." His ear for language reminds me of Wallace Stevens', his fascination with time rivals Faulkners', and his knack for disorienting, gut-twisting subject matter is uniquely his own. I am pretty sure, however, that this Bright Fellow in Arkansas would see Baker differently. So -- whose vote counts?
I say I should be the one who decides. Stalemate. The publishers note that the critically-praised book covers 'G-spot stimulation, oral sex, vaginal fisting, dildos for fun and fashion, dynamics of butch/femme sex, anal sex, the pleasures of lube and latex, where to cop the best cybersex, and leather, piercings, tattoos, high heels, and other fetishes.' Hey, isn't this what the CRC's Ruth Jacobs' said to the Montgomery County school board at public comments? Except they they took out the part about "swirlies." According to Adams, his teenage boys' discovery of the book was the cause of 'many sleepless nights in our house.' Somebody stop me, please. The humor is too close to the surface here. These teenage boys discover all this wild lesbian sex stuff and now ... they don't sleep?
You wonder -- what are they doing?
Somebody stop me. The city's attorney, Camille Thompson, was sceptical that Adams legal complaint had any merit: 'There is not a valid legal concern here. In fact, (the request for money) made me question his motivation.'
Adams says the boys found the book while trying to locate books on military academies. That'll be that crazy Dewey Decimal Classification at fault, then.
The book was recommended by Library Journal as being suitable 'for all public libraries.' And you can also find The Whole Lesbian Sex Book on the internet, if you'd like to judge just how disturbing it must have been for teenage boys to find. Well, naturally, I as a concerned reader would like judge just how disturbing it must have been for them. It turns out this news story even links to the book: HERE.
Ah, well, it's not all on the Internet, but a lot of it is. Whatever, you can get the idea. This is a book about sex, for lesbians. A how-to book, like The Joy of Sex or one of those, of which there are a bunch, but not mostly for lesbians.
You wonder then, are these teenage boys lying awake at night ... thinking about this ... because the book is about sex, or because it's about lesbians? How much does this guy sue the library for if his kids are lying awake thinking about a book of straight sex? What if they ever came across a Playboy magazine at the library, for instance -- how much would that be worth?
A library is a place that provides access to information. If you think about it, most of the books in a library don't appeal to most people: nobody goes shelf by shelf, reading every book there, you go to the topic you want and find a book that interests you, and read that, ignoring all the thousands of other books on the shelves.
Some people are interested in sex techniques, for legitimate reasons. Maybe they are in a relationship and hope to improve their ability to satisfy their partner in bed, y'know, that seems legitimate. And maybe they are a lesbian. This book is a straight-talking, no-holds-barred book about sexual things you can do as a lesbian or as a single woman, for that matter. In fact, here's something funny: I expect some men might learn a little something here about what women enjoy sexually.
I worry about people who think the whole world needs to be kept at a level that is acceptable for children. There are actually adults out here, and some have need for advice about personal things, including sex, that are not part of a child's life.
I doubt that teenage boys need to know how to please lesbians in bed, but ... do you really think they came across this while looking for something about military academies? I mean, come on.
And how did this happen? Did these boys check this book out and bring it home? Did they run home and tell their dad all the wonderful things they had read about? Did this come out after he questioned them about their insomnia? I have trouble picturing this, somehow.
"Sleepless Nights in Arkansas"
1 Comment -
Jim writes,
I worry about people who think the whole world needs to be kept at a level that is acceptable for children. There are actually adults out here, and some have need for advice about personal things, including sex, that are not part of a child's life.
Remember the category this "news" item was placed under? I think that this suggests a rational way to understand this bit of news.
Hummm, what would I do if my 17 or 13 year old found such a tome? Well, I sure would not sue my public library a single cent; this guy is digging for money in the pockets of his fellow taxpayers...shame on him. I would quietly bring it to the attention of a reference librarian and express my concern that while I affirm the right to have such a volume in the collection, that I think access to it should be restricted to adults.
BTW, this book is available at Colorado State University, but not at our local library (though I have seen several gay/lesbian books on the new book shelf.
I doubt that teenage boys need to know how to please lesbians in bed, but ... do you really think they came across this while looking for something about military academies? I mean, come on.
LOL! A simple, one word answer: no. Good grief, they are 14 and 16 year old boys...if the father does not understand that his boys are at nearly their maximum "horniness" then he is living in Fantasy Land.
And how did this happen? Did these boys check this book out and bring it home? Did they run home and tell their dad all the wonderful things they had read about? Did this come out after he questioned them about their insomnia? I have trouble picturing this, somehow.
Please...they saw it, took a peek, got aroused, and decided to check it and bring it home. Their dad probably does what my wife does periodically: he checked thru what they had checked out and got more than he bargained for in the process. LOL! While the Mrs. would have probably also blown a gasket, I can assure you all that yours truly would go to the "woodshed" first before anyone else would get called onto the carpet("...well, didn't you see what she had checked out???"..."uh, no, I was too busy checking out the new book shelf"). I do spot check here and there...with an emphasis on "spot" (think spotty and you get the idea), but I tend to try to be light handed in my approach to material.
A notable exception took place on Monday...and it was not even the library. My younger daughter received a video in the mail (rental); Dead Poets Society. It is rated PG so she thought it would be fine. When I saw that it was getting mailed because she had requested it, I decided to not allow her to watch it. I recall seeing the movie and while being moved by the story, being shaken by the ending. At this point I don't think it would be wise for her to see such a movie. I sat down with her after school and had a 45 discussion about the movie in which I assured her that she had done nothing wrong in renting it and wanting to see it, but that I (as her parent) thought it much too intense for her right now. Remarkably both of us kept our cool and with some reluctance she accepted my decision with grace (though she thought it was "stupid" to which I replied, "yes, you are entitled to feel that way, and I would probably feel the same way as well if I were you right now").
April 25, 2007 8:11 AM