I had stumbled over this particular book at the library and was looking forward to giving it a shot. The kids were in bed, I was snuggled under the blankets, all was quiet...I started to read.
A dozen pages in, I am interested and engaged, I flip to the next page and see two black marks. Upon closer inspection I discover that someone has taken a black ink pen and scribbled through two curse words on the facing page. Where it not for my encyclopedic knowledge of curse words I would not have been able to decipher the original text.
I was intrigued, amused, and no longer sleepy...I had discovered an ARSE (analretentiveshiteraser)....
I flipped through the next couple of pages and noticed several more blackouts...and in a few cases the ARSE had added her own text, words I guess she found less offensive. In one case she substituted "jerk" for "shite heel"...
I went to the end of the book and begin to work backwards. Let me just say that the ARSE is nothing if not dedicated...she continued her scribble campaign through all 350 pages. She may have become even more zealous toward the end, blacking out the word "fart" and even on occasion marking through the portions of some compound words she found offensive....
I spent at least half an hour thumbing through the book. I just could not wrap my mind around what it would take to make a person check out a library book and then deface it that way. If the ARSE was so offended by "colorful" language why in the world would she check out a book about a gritty detective and his soap opera wife who discover Elvis and Marilyn Monroe's secret love letters. Everyone knows that gritty detectives have potty mouths...
It took at least an hour before I was able to get back to reading the story. Even then I was unable to really get in to it; the censorship was just too distracting. In the few pages that I did manage to read before giving up I found two words that the ARSE missed...
It took at least an hour before I was able to get back to reading the story. Even then I was unable to really get in to it; the censorship was just too distracting. In the few pages that I did manage to read before giving up I found two words that the ARSE missed...
So I left her a little present....
3 comments:
what the crap???
I'd complain to the library.
Why does school start so early now? We start next Wednesday. I love that you left the book graffiti artist a message. I hate it when people defile books-especially when they are trying to censor a book for someone else, even more when they don't own the book they are defiling. They are an arse. What a great word, by the way.
Crack me up!!!!!!!!!!!!! We started school today! Chappell in K and Lindley in 2nd. I looked at lk and didn't know what to do with her. I have never had her alone! What in the hell do I do with a 3 1/2 year old who acts 27? I asked her what she wanted to do, her response? ....."Go hiking which you momma!" Besides the fact it was raining, she was relentless! No, I didn't suck it up and hike in the rain, i took her out to luch instead!-katfish
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