Salt Lake vows book-choice changes

In the wake of an apparently short-lived controversy over profanity in a book selected for the city's inaugural book club, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's administration pledged some changes when the city picks its next title.

Anderson's chief of staff, Sam Guevara, said Tuesday that the mayor's office will seek more public input before selecting its next book. Also, Guevara said there might be an effort to alter the makeup of the book club selection committee after complaints arose that the committee didn't include many, if any, social conservatives.

"This is our first time out," Guevara said. "Next time it's our plan to get everyone's input."

Meanwhile, an anticipated showdown between Councilman Eric Jergensen and the mayor's staff (Anderson is on vacation) never materialized.

Jergensen said Monday he had asked that Guevara choose another book and planned at Tuesday's meeting to question the mayor's staff about the book selection.

Guevara said Tuesday he wasn't sure that Jergensen ever made such a request but rather that the councilman expressed concern about the book choice — "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by English author Mark Haddon.

At any rate, Guevara said the mayor's office had no intentions of choosing a different book for the citywide book club that begins next month.

However, in six months, when another book is selected, all community input regarding the selection of the book will be taken into consideration, Guevara said. People can suggest book titles at the Web site www.slcreads.com or by contacting the mayor's office.

Jergensen said Tuesday he won't press the mayor's office to choose a different book. He added that the discussion over the book club selection would continue in the next six months as the community decides on the next selection.

"I'd like to have the community play a large part in that dialogue," he said.

The controversy erupted Monday when Jergensen and Councilman Carlton Christensen voiced concerns over the book's profanity and what some regard as blasphemy.

The popular book about an autistic Sherlock Holmes wannabe who uncovers the truth about a slain dog has some 22 f-words, 16 s-words and 33 profane references to Jesus Christ and God.

The book is part of the inaugural "Salt Lake Reads Together" initiative, which kicks off Sept. 15 and is designed to get city residents reading the same books together. Besides Haddon's tale, the program includes the non-fiction selection "The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams: A Memoir," and children's selection, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." Many cities have run popular citywide book clubs beginning with one created by Seattle's public library in the late 1990s.