Review by BexReads757 -- The Banned Book about Love

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BexReads757
Posts: 18
Joined: 08 Oct 2016, 22:31
Currently Reading: Essential Tales and Poems
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Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bexreads757.html
Latest Review: "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes

Review by BexReads757 -- The Banned Book about Love

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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The Banned Book about Love by Scott Hughes is a highly readable opinion piece, formatted as a 25-page booklet. An opening note by the author explains that the booklet was originally released exclusively through Amazon, where the author pledged to donate 10 cents for every free copy downloaded to a charity that benefits victims of sexual assault. The piece was originally titled I Love Brock Turner, which likely contributed to the decision by Amazon to remove the booklet from their site, effectively transforming I Love Brock Turner into The Banned Book about Love.

This booklet is divided into six, short chapters. The first chapter bears the booklet’s original title: I Love Brock Turner. I must admit that my first instinct upon reading this was to cringe, and I can see this being the visceral response of readers upon discovering the title on Amazon. The combination of the chapter title, and the banning of the booklet by Amazon created a spark of curiosity that compelled me to read on. I was also warmed by the author’s pledge to donate 10 cents per copy to a charity that benefits victims of sexual assault. I made every effort to read this piece with an open mind, being particularly mindful of the possibility that it was banned simply because of its original title.


The first chapter, I Love Brock Turner, provides a brief description of the Brock Turner case and the outrage that was sparked when Turner received what many believed was a light sentence, far too light for a perpetrator of sexual assault (particularly for a white, privileged perpetrator of sexual assault) during a time when jails and prisons are full of non-violent crime perpetrators, and police brutality toward black males has gone from the shadows to the spotlight. Hughes describes the social media explosion of what he calls “self-righteous outrage” in response to the sentencing of Brock Turner. He goes into detail about the messages of hate being blasted all over the internet, where people frequently describe not only what they believe Turner deserves, but detail the violence that THEY would inflict on him given the chance.

Hughes goes on to discuss how hatred alone is not an effective catalyst for change. He notes that there are other methods, such as research, advocacy, and acting to solve problems, that are much more effective in making systematic changes than simply expressing rage through social media. Hughes makes the case that it is harder to love than to hate, providing the example that it is easy to call your spouse a name and blame her for everything than it is to fix problems in a marriage. He also provides some other analogies, which make much less sense. Religion is briefly discussed, and Hughes provides quotes from the New and Old Testaments, which support the idea of loving others. He acknowledges that he is not perfect, and is often guilty of hypocrisy. He praises the reader for reading the booklet to its end, rather than immediately becoming outraged at the title.

It is easy to see how a victim of sexual assault would be offended by the content. I am not a victim of sexual assault, and I feel offended by the content. There is a segment of the book where the author asserts that Brock Turner was “so drunk that he could not legally consent to sex,” and “If someone had sex with Brock while he was that drunk, that person would be guilty of raping Brock no matter how much drunk-Brock had seemed to want the sex.” The fact is that Brock Turner sexually assaulted a woman who was unconscious. There is just no argument about consent here. He jokes that he is not defending Turner “because he’s a fast swimmer.” Although he acknowledges that this is “silly,” I wonder why it is even brought up. Although Hughes continually states “I am not defending Brock Turner,” it feels as though he is.

My impartial rating of this book is 2 out of 4 stars. This rating does not come from my personal feelings about the content of the booklet, or the author’s opinion. In fact, I agree with Hughes about many of his points, although I completely disagree with others. My rating is 2 stars, because despite being very short, this booklet managed to ramble significantly. Toward the end, I became confused about the actual points being made. Some of the comparisons and analogies made very little sense, and the section on religion failed to connect with the main point of the booklet. There were multiple assumptions made on the point of the author, and no research to back up the assumptions. In fact, apart from some bible quotes, there were no citations at all. I did not give this booklet 1 star, because as an opinion piece, which I think this booklet is, it did its job. I am not surprised that this work was banned from Amazon, although I think it could be re-written in a way that is more appealing to readers. I would like to see it re-written, because I greatly admire the intention to donate to charities that benefit sexual assault victims.

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The Banned Book about Love
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Latest Review: "The Banned Book about Love" by Scott Hughes
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