City Threatened with Suit over Library's "Obscene" Book on Lesbian Sex

-- Library Journal, 4/23/2007

Two teens, 14- and 16-year-old Kyle Adams and Ryan Adams, went to the Bentonville PL, AR, in February so the younger brother could look up material on military academies. However, they wound up looking at The Whole Lesbian Sex Book, by Felice Newman, a book their father said left his sons "greatly disturbed… and this matter has caused many sleepless nights in our house." Earl Adams, according to The Morning News, has asked the city to pay $10,000 in damages per child, which is the maximum under the state obscenity law. While the library director, Cindy Suter, first moved the book to a less accessible location, the library advisory board subsequently agreed the book should be taken from circulation, saying they sought to find a more suitable book. "A more sensitive, more clinical approach to same material might be more appropriate for the library," one member said.

Suter pointed to LJ's review, which called it suitable for all public libraries, and the importance of a diverse collection. The story generated some snickers among locals. One commenter on the Morning News web site observed, "14 - and 16-year-old boys will be boys regardless of how much you think they are 'good' boys when presented the opportunity. If they were looking for info on Military Academies, I doubt they were looking at The Whole Lesbian Sex Book for its description of West Point—get it!" Others criticized Adams for seeking monetary damages. "Any effort to reinstate the book will be met with legal action and protests from the Christian community," Adams said, according to the newspaper.