Some feel S.L. club is pushing racy book

Just three weeks before it officially kicks off, the first-ever city-sponsored book club is generating controversy with one of its first recommendations.

And the Salt Lake City mayor's office hunkered down Monday to head off an anticipated firestorm over the book club's profanity- and blasphemy-laced choice.

Meanwhile, at least one councilman has asked the mayor's office to consider picking a new book and plans to question Rocky Anderson's staffers about the selection at tonight's City Council meeting.

City officials apparently became aware of the controversy Monday after the Deseret Morning News inquired about the book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by English author Mark Haddon.

The popular book about an autistic Sherlock Holmes wannabe who uncovers the truth about a slain dog is replete with four-letter words, including at least 22 f-words, 16 s-words and 33 profane references to Jesus Christ and God.

Oftentimes profanity and blasphemy are strung for greater effect, as in the line: "Holy f---ing J----, Christopher. How stupid are you?"

In addition to other curse words, the book includes a four-letter reference to female anatomy that — in context — is "horribly abusive" to women, one council member said.

"If young men were talking to their girlfriends and mothers that way, we as a society would be offended and rightfully so," Councilman Eric Jergensen said. "We as a society should not be recommending this type of literature."

Annette Daley, the only person on the mayor's book committee who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, agreed there weren't many, if any, social conservatives on the panel who might have provided more balance to the selection process.

"This is the mayor's book club, and the mayor certainly doesn't make any beans about the fact that he's not conservative," she said. "(The committee members) reflect his political and intellectual ideologies."

Daley said she loved the book and believes others of her faith can enjoy it. After all, she said, kids hear worse language in high school.

After fielding questions from the Deseret Morning News, the mayor's public relations machine whipped into gear Monday as spokeswoman Deeda Seed called the Salt Lake Tribune to alert the paper about censorship concerns.

Next, Seed pow-wowed with Anderson's chief-of-staff Sam Guevara (the mayor is on vacation in Cambodia), who told her to write Op-Ed pieces for both the Morning News and the Tribune in an effort to head off a possible brewing controversy.