Community Corner

Should Libraries Loan "Fifty Shades of Grey?"

The Alameda County Library System has 48 copies in circulation along with 21 copies of the e-book and a very long waiting list.

Call it mommy porn, call it bad writing, call it whatever you want. E.L. James’s “50 Shades of Grey” trilogy is undeniably a mega-bestseller. More than 10 million copies of the books have been sold so far.

Dublin even has a secret book club devoted to the "Fifty Shades" fever. But not everyone wants to pay for their literary titillation.  

The "New York Times" wrote Tuesday that the popularity of “50 Shades of Grey” has forced libraries around the country to take a look at their rules on erotica, and some librarians have banned the trilogy. If the Alameda County Library system has rules to keep erotica off the shelves, the 50 Shades franchise must not meet the definition. The system has 48 copies in circulation, and every one is checked out. The waiting list is 260 patrons long.

Have you read “50 Shades of Grey?” What do you think - worth the hype?

Patch us your comments in the comments section below. Is it suitable material for the Dublin Library’s shelves?

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