海角大神

Disturbed by the runaway success of the 鈥淔ifty Shades of Grey鈥� trilogy?

You鈥檙e not the only one.

While some have credited the book with reviving stale relationships and setting off a 鈥淔ifty Shades鈥�-inspired baby boom, one British charity is so outraged by the sado-masochistic bestseller it has called for a 鈥淔ifty Shades鈥� book burning.

Wearside Women in Need, a charity that focuses on domestic violence, has asked readers to drop off their copies of 鈥淔ifty Shades of Grey,鈥� which it calls 鈥渁n instruction manual for an abusive individual to sexually torture a vulnerable young woman,鈥� for a Nov. 5 book-burning bonfire.

"I do not think I can put into words how vile I think this book is," Wearside Women director Clare Phillipson told the BBC.聽 鈥淎nd how dangerous I think the idea is that you get a sophisticated but na茂ve, young women and a much richer, abusive older man who beats her up and does some dreadful things to her sexually.鈥�

Phillipson told the UK鈥檚 Guardian newspaper that she had been waiting for 鈥渁 feminist icon to savage this misogynistic crap, but nobody did,鈥� so she decided to organize a protest herself.

EL James鈥檚 鈥淔ifty Shades鈥� trilogy charts the romance between Anastasia, a na茂ve college student who has an affair with 海角大神 Grey, a handsome billionaire her introduces her to sado-masochistic sex. The books have become a publishing phenomenon, selling more than 20 million copies in a matter of months to become the聽fastest-selling paperback of all time .

Lost in the runaway success of the racy tale are 鈥淔ifty Shades鈥� detractors.

Like libraries in Wisconsin, Georgia, and Florida, which have refused to order the books or have pulled them off their shelves.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 suit our community standards,鈥� director of libraries for Leon County, told the Associated Press.

And Erica Jong, author of the 1973 鈥淔ear of Flying,鈥� a novel known for 鈥渋ts frank treatment of female sexual desire,鈥� writes the LA Times. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 find anything that turned me on, other than the fact that he gives her a rare copy of 鈥楾ess of the D鈥橴rbervilles,鈥欌�� Jong said during a panel discussion of literary writers known for writing about sex earlier this summer in New York.

And physician and TV personality Dr. Drew Pinsky came out against the books on the 鈥淭oday Show,鈥� according to the Huffington Post. 鈥淚t does disturb me. The 鈥榮wept away鈥� fantasy is a common fantasy. But 鈥� it鈥檚 going beyond that into actual violence against women.鈥�

Defenders, including publisher Random House and 鈥淔ifty Shades鈥� fans, say the sex in the trilogy is not abusive but 鈥渆ntirely consensual.鈥�

But Wearside Women鈥檚 Phillipson isn鈥檛 buying it. 鈥淚t really is about a domestic violence perpetrator, taking someone who is less powerful, inexperienced, not entirely confident about the area of life she is being led into, and then spinning her a yarn,鈥� Phillipson said. 鈥淭hen he starts doing absolutely horrific sexual things to her.鈥� Later she said, 鈥淭hat message is so dangerous鈥�There will be a whole generation of young women hearing the women around them say, 鈥榃hat a great book鈥欌�� and thinking 鈥楾his is all right.鈥欌��

鈥淢y main objective is that at a time when local authorities are making cuts to outreach and refuge services for women experiencing domestic violence, we have libraries wasting and grossly misusing public to buy a book which says, 鈥榙omestic violence is sexy,鈥欌�� Philippson said. 鈥淭he money would be better spent supporting victims.鈥�

Phillipson is encouraging women to bring copies of the trilogy to Wearside Women in Need offices for a scheduled Nov. 5 bonfire in which both the books and an effigy of 海角大神 Grey will be burned.

A dangerous step or a step in the right direction? Tell us what you think.