3 out of 4 stars
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What is justice? It's really just a simple word, yet people have various opinions or interpretations about it. Like if the issue is about a rapist, there will always be outrage and lack of satisfaction. Does justice equate to murder or a second chance? Scott Hughes' creation, The Banned Book About Love, is in the middle of this conflicting topic.
The Banned Book About Love talks about the author's perspective on love and hate pertaining to the world's reactions on the final sentences of crimes. He especially focused on swimmer Brock Turner's case in which the latter was convicted for three felonies, namely "assault with intent to rape an intoxicated woman", "sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object", and "sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object". Brock Turner committed the felonies while he himself was incredibly drunk.
What you must know is that this book was originally titled "I Love Brock Turner" and was published on Amazon with the the author intending to donate 10 cents for every free copy that was downloaded to a charity that helps victims of sexual assault. However, only a few days after its release, Amazon banned the book because of complaints from people who may or may not have read its contents. At first, I was curious as to how a book intended to help victims of sexual assault could possibly bring out such discontent. However, when I started reading the first few pages, I immediately understood why it sparked into such a huge issue.
I know perfectly well that the author had the best intentions. However, I think that he went too fast. At the end of the first chapter, he dropped a bombshell on the readers that he confidently loves Brock Turner. That simple statement alone was surely enough to spark a huge misunderstanding of the thought he was trying to get at. There are people who, by reading that statement, would immediately close their minds to whatever the author wanted to elaborate on afterwards simply because they would find the mere idea of it absurd. Additionally, the author almost constantly repeated the "implication" that he loves Brock Turner no matter who he is and no matter what he did. These ideas should have been presented slowly and not so abruptly or else it would only serve as unnecessary fuel for accumulating dislike of the book.
Like I mentioned above, I do believe that the author meant well. I suggest, however, for him to get his point across maybe in the middle of the book or even at the last page. In the initial pages, there should have been slow build-up in order for him to get into the minds and hearts of undeniably close-minded people. A controversial issue like this, when not handled properly, could result in a mess. Of course, this is only my opinion, and I think those who have read the book till the end are those who don't let poor judgement get the better of them.
On the other hand, what I liked about the book was that, even though it may seem naive or idealistic of the author, he presented good arguments about why it is unnecessary to hate so freely and excessively. In reality, it's easy for people to hate rather than spread love, to bully, and say bad words about someone, especially on social media. It's easy to indulge in hate, to follow the others who use hate and blame other people because they won't be bothered to do anything else. Like the author mentioned in his book: "I could have just called Brock Turner a bad name and saved myself the trouble of writing this book."
All in all, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. There were no errors, and even if there were, they were very minor and did not get in the way of the message the author imparted upon his readers. I recommend this book to those who would like to read something positive and thought-provoking. This book will make you realize the reality of the world and make you wonder about lots of things. Like Charles Caleb Colton said: "We hate some persons because we do not know them; and will not know them because we hate them."
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The Banned Book about Love
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