Fifty Shades of Grey, reprise

I've been fascinated by the publishing of and libraries reaction to Fifty Shades of Grey.  My colleagues call it porn or smut; others call it Mommy Porn. While not great literature, it is titillating.  Because of all the press, I had a good idea of the books contents before I started reading it.  To me it is no more graphic than other erotic fiction I have read.  I think some people are shocked because they have never read any erotic fiction.  The plot outline is a traditional romance, played out in three books totally 1650 pages (American edtion) rather than 175 (Silhouette Desire), 280 (Harlequin SuperRomance) or 370 (mass market bodice-ripper) pages.  I think it could have been rather shorter.  There were times when her inner monologue went on and on. 

I became aware of this book on the Today show - the story was about how urban moms were passing the book around, usually on their eReaders.  As a matter of fact, the book was originally released as an e-book and a print-on-demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers' Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher based in Australia.  It was spread by word of mouth, especially to those with eReaders.  I thought it was wonderful.

"Erotica" is a category that libraries have traditionally not purchased whether by explicit policy or accepted practice.    The reaction of libraries to the popularity of the Fifty Shades books has been interesting.  Many libraries have not purchased it, saying they do not purchase "erotica".  Most libraries do not purchase books labeled "erotic stories" by the Library of Congress.  Libraries have the right to decide what books they will purchase and most have a policy stating their standards.  But public libraries are also in the business of meeting demand.  Modern public libraries no longer restrict what people can read, but try to give them what they want.  The public library also must reflect the local community standards.

The problem arises when there is a controversial book, like Madonna's Sex.  My library didn't purchase it because it was $50 and spiral bound.  It was likely to be ripped off the first week.  And because it contained phrases like "My pussy has 9 lives" and “Everybody loves you when they are about to cum.”  But it had a lot of press, and people did ask whether we were getting it.  Some were relieved to be told we were not.

Fifty Shades has had plenty of press, but I haven't been hearing quotes of what language is offensive, or if it is the situation.  Our current policy is to purchase books of reasonable price if they are requested.  We have 9 copies, with about 45 holds.  Our policy is to purchase a copy of a book for every 5 holds.  This seems to be a reasonable policy. That way the librarians aren't deciding how many to buy - the community is.  Without seeing or reading a book, it is difficult for a librarian to decide whether to purchase or not. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/book-banned-fifty-shades-of-grey_n_1503949.html

I did read the book, and found it very entertaining, but not great literature.

More articles: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-harford-librarian-profile-20120604,0,1593688.story?page=2&track=rss