Strong Language in Books?

[Lolo Skyooz]

It seems obvious to me that if a character needs to curse to get their point across, it can serve purposes of character development and can also communicate an emotional reaction in a medium (books) which doesn't have the benefit of visual signals of emotion. Cursing can also be a function of the author's voice, and a clear signal as to what type of audience the author intends to write for. I think that if cursing offends some readers, of course, they have a right to make their distaste for that kind of thing known in their reviews. But so often you see these people literally pitching a hissy fit in their reviews, as though bad language somehow affects them in a way that amounts to a personal affront between them and the author. If bad language is that offensive to someone, they should probably stick to reading classic literature and books for children as they must take personal responsibility for their own emotions.