"Fifty Shades of Grey" Charred During Book-Burning By Ohio Radio Show Host

OUTSIDE CLEVELAND, OH -- Fifty Shades of Grey was fifty shades of charred Wednesday night as a popular local radio host held a book-burning party for the best-selling novel.

More than 100 fans showed up to  in Westlake to watch WMMS show hosts Alan Cox and Chad Zumock set fire to the books, which were brought by fans who had read the erotic novel and didn't like it.

One woman even brought her Nook to be destroyed. Cox first tried to smash it on the side of the grill on Panini's patio, then gave up and tossed it in the fire.

Check out the video for Cox's take on the night, and why he did it.

Brian Hamblen, general manager of the Westlake Panini's, said the weekly post-show parties for the Alan Cox Show always bring a good crowd, but he was surprised by how many came out for the event.

"This is our first book-burning, so I wasn't sure how people would take it," he said.

An empty grill for the book-burning was set up in the sand of Panini's new beach volleyball courts, which will open in August. Leagues are being formed at Hermes Sports Cleveland, Hamblen said.

One of the common complaints from male listeners, said Zumock, is that women get so obsessed with the books in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy that they're neglecting their men.

The books, by British author E.L. James, had their defenders in the crowd. Molly Dalton of Westlake used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

She and her sister, Amy, of Avon, are both fans of the trilogy. Their seventysomething mom and their aunts are also into the books, they added.

"Guys don't understand what it's about," Molly said. "For years, they had catalogs, and Playboy. This is something for us women."

Amy said she connected with the character Anastasia Steele.

"She's so young and naive, and she's thrown into this new world that freaks her out," Amy said. "And she finds herself enjoying it, loving it."

Dublin Patch first reported on the "50 Shades of Grey's" surreptitious rendezvous in Dublin after hearing about a secret book club of local moms secretly reading book that has since been dubbed "mommy porn." 

The Dublin Library has a long waiting list to get the uber-popular book. Readers have been mulling over ideas of actors to play Christian and Anastasia in the possible movie.

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