Publisher Pulls Books From Amazon.com In Protest "Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers"

KIRO ^

[esryle]

SEATTLE -- A controversial book has one local publisher pulling his books off the Internet giant Amazon.com.

Larry Reynolds, a Shoreline publisher of recreational boating guides, wants Amazon.com to stop selling a book called "Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers," which he says promotes relationships between grown men and young boys.

"A lot of people out there just aren't aware that Amazon is doing it," he said.

For the past year, Reynolds has written numerous letters to the Internet company to try and convince it to drop the title.

When the company refused to budge, Reynolds pulled his company's books off Amazon.com.

He also spent $1,600 to take out large ads in the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer criticizing Amazon.com.

"They have to make better choices then they are making now," Reynolds said.

An Amazon.com spokesperson told KIRO 7 "Our goal is to support freedom of expression and to provide customers with the broadest selection possible. We believe it is censorship to not carry a book in our catalog simply because we find its message repugnant."

Reynolds, who is a former college English professor, understands the irony of a publisher asking to ban a book.

"But censorship stops when it start hurting somebody in very demonstrative ways and in my mind pedophilism is one of those cases."

[esryle]

www.esryle.com

[sarasota]

I've stopped buying at amazon. Seems they are way over the line, even for liberals.

[bereanway]

Good for Mr. Reynolds. If there were more like him maybe Amazon and some of the others who support this perversion would start to get the idea. Let'em parrot the censorship line all they want, hit them where it hurts.

[wmichgrad]

As Rush has pointed out, only the government can censor. Corporations make ethical choices daily. I would hope that Amazon.com would do the right thing in determining what is appropriate to sell.

Here is a link to the Amazon.com listing.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0967699703/qid=1086791165/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-4318246-6415816?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Is there such a thing as a legitimate sexual relationship between an adult male and an underage boy? Most civilized people would answer emphatically "no," and Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers won't convince them otherwise. Defensive in tone and amateurishly produced, this monograph uses both pseudo-scholarship and anecdotes in its attempt to justify its target audience's actions and feelings. --Christopher Hart

Book Description submitted by the publisher SafeHaven:

Many researchers is the fields of Psychology and Human Sexuality have been taking a fresh look at the "conventional" wisdom which has been the basis for evaluation of intergenerational male/male sexual activities. The long assumed "harm" of such activities has failed to be supported by research, and the sociocultural "wrongness" based on this "harm" is therefore left without any rational basis. An extremely thorough and exhaustive paper, "A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples" was published in the July, 1998 Psychological Bulletin, the journal of the American Psychological Association. It brought forth howls of protest from right wing radicals all the way up to and including the United States House of Representatives, but after the furor subsided, the paper, having been subjected to intensive examination at every level, has been judged to be true, accurate and objective science.
Previous to this, a collection of papers by such authors as Bullough, Bernard, Schild, Warren, Bauserman, et al., was published as "Dares to Speak", edited by Joseph Geraci. Before that there was "Male Intergenerational Intimacy" by Brongersma. Both of these volumes are currently in print, and are available.

The above mentioned paper and books are intended primarily for researchers, educators, and other people knowledgeable in these areas. Therefore, I have authored a "layman's" introductory volume, "Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers", which essentially covers the same premises, data, and conclusions as the above, but which is written in mostly non technical language, with the average citizen in mind. This book, while certainly bound to be controversial, and which espouses certain changes in various laws, is carefully maintained within the limits of current laws, there is nothing in it which could possibly concern any postal inspector, or which could create any legal liability. SafeHaven Foundation Press

[wasp69]

An Amazon.com spokesperson told KIRO 7 "Our goal is to support freedom of expression and to provide customers with the broadest selection possible. We believe it is censorship to not carry a book in our catalog simply because we find its message repugnant."

Translation: We have sold our souls for the almighty dollar.

[AmericanChef]

Now, if Amazon has policies in effect about not selling other types of legally written books, like "how to make a bomb" or something like that, then there's grounds of inconsistency. If they make a judgment about one type of book, they really don't have any reason NOT to make judgments about others. They're not in the BUSINESS of censorship or non-censorship. They sell stuff, and they can choose to sell whatever they want. Therefore, when they choose to sell a book like this, it means they approve of it.

Has Amazon ever dropped a book or product based on feedback or demands? Well, after heavy protests, they did in fact take off that Man/Boy "love" book from their site in 1999. So...protest away; meanwhile, take your business elsewhere.

[King Black Robe]

A man with courage. God bless Mr. Reynolds for taking this stand.

[No Blue States]

"I've stopped buying at amazon. Seems they are way over the line, even for liberals."

Same here, Once I checked on a Conservative book and it had a link to donate to the DNC to defeat Bush I was through with them. But this would have done it even faster.

[sarasota]

Was that Misunderestimated by Sammons? I found the same thing and filed a complaint. It would come and go as if a hacker was on board. I pulled my account and cancelled my amazon visa card.

[imintrouble]

Amazon have been promoting paederasty and pedophilia booklets and pamphlets for years.

I stopped purchasing there since 1998 and will no longer patronize them - I'll wait as long as a library or garage sale if I have to....

Nobody needs Amazon if they are going to sell books with a political bias.

There is only one way as a consumer to show disapproval..
S H U N !!!

[Billthedrill]

Understand that it isn't just Amazon, it's the publishing industry in general that has come to view books as essentially content-neutral commodities with a fairly low profit margin. Which they are if you are pushing product and not ideas. It's the price you pay for running mega-bookstores.

I don't think that problem is so much that someone is selling these books as it is that someone's buying them.

[ahayes]

Email them and let them know your opinion. I went to the Contact Us page and sent them the following email:

It has come to my attention that your web site offers for sale "Understanding Loved Boys and Boylovers," a book that promotes pedophilia. I understand a spokesman for you company said that you do not believe in censoring the book simply because you believe it is repugnant. Your spokesman apparently doesn't understand that while David Riegel is free to write whatever book he wishes, you are not obligated to provide a forum in which he can advance his opinions. Since you have dropped the ball on this issue, I'm going to pick it up. I will not give my money to a company that fails to stand up against child molestation. I will make no further purchases from Amazon as long as you offer this book for sale. And I will make sure my friends and family do not as well.

[subterfuge]

I just sent my friend who has a novel on sale through them and let him know I can't buy his book from Amazon. Eager to hear his reply.

[Physicist]

He also spent $1,600 to take out large ads in the Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer criticizing Amazon.com.

A cynic might think that the publishers of the pederasty book put him up to this. They certainly couldn't have asked for better advertising.

I notice that Amazon also sells several editions of Mein Kampf. This is clearly a much more dangerous book than any paean to buggery; should Amazon be pressured not to sell it?

[gimme1ibertee]

yep....Duly noted & emailed.
Mine went something like this...
"I will not associate myself with,or do business with, a company that sells books or other materials that promote pederasty and/or pedophilia.Your website/store should be investigated by the FBI. Thank You,Sincerely," Blah-blah,you know.What they are doing is beyond irresponsible.
Business is business,but this is beyond the pale.

[citizen]

Paging Bill O'Reilly....

[ModelBreaker]

What's it's ranking on Amazon. I don't even want to log on to that page. Did you notice?

[wmichgrad]

It's rank is 8,905. I would say that people are buying it, which is very scary.

The top three results for Mein Kampf rank 21,732, 21,836 and 32,878. I think that if a company wants to maintain a specific image, then they would be very careful about what they sell. Now, Amazon.com may not have any particular image it is trying to portray regarding family values or morals. But, I do wonder how much its on-line partners, such as Target and Toys R Us, care about their family friendly image. Do they want to be associated with with a company that sells this crap, boy love, mein kampf or otherwise?

If you want to send a message to Amazon.com, start writing to their on-line partners.

[ModelBreaker]

It's rank is 8,905. I would say that people are buying it, which is very scary.

Yikes! I was happy when my book was at 12,000. Even in the 12,000 - 30,000 range, us authors make money (not a full income, but there's a decent check every quarter). I suspect this guy could support a modest lifestyle living off this trash--and Amazon is helping him.