Black Arrow Blues

End the War on Freedom points us to an open letter to Laissez Faire Books from Sunni Maravillosa.

Seems they don’t want to carry Vin Suprynowicz’s “The Black Arrow,” which is their right. But their reasons are laughable.

LFB’s Kathleen Hiserodt cites her primary motive:

“[W]e are concerned about offending our customers with what we see as the gratuitous vulgar sexual content. I couldn't see any good reason for including it, and I think it makes the book inappropriate for a significant segment of our market.”

In a follow-up, Ms. Hiserodt notes: “[T]he sexual content that I found offensive had absolutely nothing to do with freedom or pro-creation. It was completely centered around slavery, extortion, and degradation.”

Umm, wouldn’t that mean it wasn’t “gratuitous”?

I’m not that comfortable with graphic sexual descriptions, either, but when I saw what Vin was doing—reserving his most “vulgar” narratives for scenes involving coercion and submission to state authority figures—it made sense. And that means the uncomfortable emotions the sexual scenes evoked in me did their job, and proved Vin’s skill as a fiction writer.

I also can’t seem to find “Unintended Consequences” at LFB. Oh, that’s right, John Ross included some of that “gratuitous vulgar sexual content.”

Well, if they want to create a niche market for liberty activists and then leave out two of the most important liberty novels targeted at that niche, I guess it’s their business.

“Yes, LFB could carry it and issue explicit warnings about the content,” Hiserodt explains. “We seriously considered doing just that. On the other hand, we have many other books that we can endorse wholeheartedly. Why is this book so important or unique that it is worth spending extra space (taken away from other books we could offer or describe in greater detail) to warn people that this book might be something they don't really want?”

Yeah, I guess putting the words “WARNING-BOOK CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL SITUATIONS” or some such on their ads would really be an extreme effort. Why, their customers might actually have to make a free choice! As to why this “book [is] so important or unique,” let’s look through the rest of the LFB catalog. Besides this and the absent UC, which other novels do they carry that provide graphic descriptions of underground liberty fighters targeting corrupt American government officials?

“If I were given free reign to edit the book (I wasn't asked),” Hiserodt continues, “I do think there is a book in there that LFB would love to carry.”

Thank God she wasn’t asked. Vin doesn’t need someone who doesn’t even understand that the term is “free rein,” (as in a rider letting the horse choose the way—giving unrestricted liberty to—in other words, “laissez faire”) as opposed to “free reign” (apparently her freedom to rule), tampering with his masterpiece.

As a side note, Vin, if this somehow comes to your attention, please consider this from a fan: Dvorak’s Symphony in E Minor, “From the New World” (the Berlin Philharmonic version)—I know you have all kinds of rock ‘n roll in the book, but for the opening music, I can’t think of a better theme for The Black Arrow when it finally gets the recognition it deserves and is made into a movie.

One more comment: I note the BA site says it still has some of its signed leather bound inventory left. What the hell is wrong with people? Why didn’t this sell out two months ago? Go out and buy this book. Jesus—our side—talk, talk, talk.

Support?

With money?

[Insert excuse here]

And then we bitch about domination of the media.