Undesirable Consequences

“How many kinds of undesirable are you?” my regular customer jovially inquired.

“Not sure,” I warily replied.

“You know you’re gonna be arrested for your new book,” he warmly informed me.

“Wouldn’t that help sales?” I asked.

He laughed, his point proven.

“But,” I continued, “I wasn’t actually planning on the ‘being arrested’ part. Just a bit of banning would be enough.”

“No,” he said. “They’ll be arresting you this time.”

Back in 2003, when I was seeking a publisher for Rebel Bookseller, many friends helpfully told me the manuscript was unpublishable because it insulted Barnes and Noble. Nobody said publication would lead to my arrest.

Am I more inflammatory, now my book-career’s hit 46 years? Truthfully, a book entitled You’re Telling My Kids They Can’t Read This Book? seems catnip for censors. It includes the F-bomb, twice: that alone should keep it out of some schools.

Since May, the text has been posted on an industry book-review site called Edelweiss. It’s been downloaded 93 times. The score: Reviewers—19, Booksellers—19, Publishers—1, Librarians—54. This distribution shows whose professional interest is galvanized by the title. My legal fate as the author is one thing. What I was thinking about while writing was, “Who’s gonna read this?” I hoped the answer was parents. The strong show of interest among librarians means the book may be acquired. What I can’t foresee is if the “trouble” my regular customer informs me is headed my way will instead be visited upon librarians who follow through and bring my book onto their shelves. Some of those parents who visit their libraries may enjoy my book; others will raise a ruckus about it, putting the librarians at risk.

I doubt that as the author, I’m really in personal danger: all such anxieties about Rebel Bookseller proved unfounded. But I wonder whether there are steps I can take to support librarians who acquire You’re Telling My Kids They Can’t Read This Book?

I don’t think this blog-platform has a comment function, but if you have any suggestions, please send me an email at sales@bookandpuppet.com. Thanks!