Police: Kids' Library Book Not Obscene

A Maine library has been cleared of obscenity charges for having a controversial sex ed title on its shelves, and the patron who removed the book from the library will stand trial for theft. A police investigation found that the Lewiston Public Library (LPL) did not violate the town ordinance against obscenity by stocking Robie H. Harris's It's Perfectly Normal, a children's guide to sexual health that is one of the most challenged titles in libraries and schools nationwide, given that it had circulated widely without complaint.

Patron JoAn Karkos removed the book last summer and refused to return it, citing its "amoral abnormal contents." (Karkos also took the book from the public library in neighboring Auburn.) She sent a check to the library to cover the cost of the book, but the library returned it and had her charged with theft. Karkos responded by claiming the book failed Lewiston community standards, which drew much criticism. Because of the publicity spike, both the Lewiston and Auburn libraries have added additional copies of It's Perfectly Normal to their shelves.