re: #159 sagehen

When I was in the 8th grade, I somehow got it in my head to read all the “banned in Boston” books. Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Leaves of Grass, Elmer Gantry, Sun Also Rises, etc. The librarian was horrified. Absolutely horrified. Tried to keep me from checking them out.

I will always be grateful to my mother that she went into the library on my behalf, told the priggish bitch that anything with enough literary merit to be stocked in that building, she was fine with me reading it. Age limits be damned.

When Mr. w was in high school, they gave everyone a list of books that could NOT be used for book reports. Mr. w used it as his reading list.