You’d have to be living on the dark side of the moon to not
have heard of the hoopla created by E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey.
Many of my friends have expressed surprise that the Public Library
has multiple copies of this title.
The summary of the book posted on Amazon goes like this: “ literature student Anastasia Steele goes to
interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is
beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled
to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is
desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and
independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.”
The book has been called “erotic fiction” which the web
defines as fictional stories of human sexual relationships. Currently, we have 61 holds on our 14
copies. The book has been banned in some
areas, and it remains in high demand.
And what is my point?
The Public Library tries to carry a wide array of reading
genres. Some of the selections on our
shelves may not agree with my personal beliefs—or your beliefs. However, they continue to reside on our shelves due to
demand and in the interest of having a balanced collection representing varying
viewpoints. And it is hardly a surprise
that many well known classics and bestsellers, including Tom Sawyer, Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, The Holy Bible, Diary of Anne Frank, and Ulysses, have been banned in
some areas.
And who is reading 50 Shades of Grey? That is no one’s business except for the
cardholder. Library staff keep no
records of what a patron has previously checked out, nor do we reveal what any
person has checked out at any time. Your
secrets (and mine) are safe!
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