LEWISTON, ME —JoAn Karkos, due in court next month to answer a theft charge over two copies of a sexual education book she refused to return to the Lewiston Public Library, now wants the library to answer her allegation of obscenity.Karkos gave police a one-page complaint this week charging that the library violated the city’s obscenity ordinance when it placed the book,It’s Perfectly Normal on its shelves.
“Number one, I want awareness,” Karkos said in an interview with the local press. “People are simply not aware of what this book means. And when they find out, they don’t want it to exist at all and they certainly don’t want it in their libraries and their schools.”
City officials met this week to talk about the complaint and the ordinance. When the meeting ended, the complaint remained under review so ordinances and other materials could be examined, said Sgt. David Chick, spokesman for the Police Department.
Officials will decide whether to press the complaint within the next few days, Chick said.
The award-winning book has been discussed in Lewiston City Hall since August, when Karkos’ campaign against the book began.
Written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley, the book was published in 1993. Subtitled Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health, it features some cartoon-like illustrations of naked people and gives information about masturbation and sexually-transmitted infections, as well as abstinence.
This summer, Karkos checked out copies of the book at both the Lewiston and Auburn libraries. She refused to return the books, but sent each library a check to cover their cost.
Karkos, who lives in Lewiston, said she particularly objected to a series of cartoons showing naked male and female bodies. She contends that the images in the title are obscene. Librarians disagreed with her, and the Lewiston Public Library board chose to file charges of theft against Karkos. She is scheduled to appear in court next month.
The obscenity complaint filed against the library “boggles the mind,” Lewiston Library Director Rick Speer said Monday. “There’s a lot of books in this library that people have called obscene.”
It’s Perfectly Normal has previously been banned in some cities. However, it is used frequently for sexual education purposes. According to its publisher, the book has been sold in 25 countries and translated into 21 languages.
