LDS Author 's Book Deemed Inappropriate Thursday, November 14, 2002 BY CHRISTY KARRAS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Nobody looked to Deseret Book as a source for steamy romance novels, but now even tame love stories face possible eviction from the shelves. The LDS Church-owned chain of bookstores has decided not to stock copies of bestselling Utah author Richard Paul Evans' latest book, The Last Promise, because it doesn't meet new standards for moral content. Evans, whose bestselling-author status began in his home state with sales of sugary, upbeat family-oriented stories such as The Christmas Box, covers new territory withThe Last Promise, released last week. The book is about an American woman living in Italy who, in the face of an abusive relationship with her husband, turns to another man for emotional support and, eventually, romance. Evans said he is surprised by the negative reaction, especially since the affair between the woman and her male friend is never consummated. The theme is love, not sex, he said. "The book is not about adultery," Evans, a practicing Mormon, told The Tribune in an interview last week. "The book would be a PG-rated movie, at the most." Still, the themes were too much for new buying guidelines that went into effect a few weeks ago, said Sheri Dew, president and CEO of Deseret Book. The guidelines tell the store's buyers to avoid ordering books that clash with customers' values. Though the process has just begun, store employees will eventually comb through all 250,000 titles in the stores' inventory to remove other books that might flunk the new standards, Dew said. Classics such as The Scarlet Letter or Jane Eyre will get the same scrutiny as new books under consideration. The guidelines are based on recent customer surveys that said patrons, mostly members of the LDS Church, were upset when they found books at the store whose messages clashed with their values. "This is completely a business decision. It's not a religious decision, it's not a moral decision. It's a customer decision," Dew said. This does not appear to sever the relationship between Evans and the chain, which Dew estimates has sold more than 100,000 copies of his previous books. Deseret Book will continue to sell the earlier titles, and The Last Promise will be available by special order. The decision also doesn't seem to have had a negative effect on Evans' enormous popularity in Utah, the setting of most of his books. Long lines formed at Evans' book signings this week at Borders and Media Play. "We were disappointed that Deseret chose not to sell the book, but I don't think it will hurt a thing," said Lisa Johnson, head of publicity at Dutton, Evans' publisher. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================