Bookstore and author both filling vital roles

Last week, many shoppers got a letter in the mail from Sheri Dew, CEO of Deseret Book. The letter explained why the store was pulling books from its shelves that were deemed inappropriate.

Last week, I also had lunch with Anita Stansfield, the LDS romance writer who — next to Gerald Lund — may be the most successful novelist in LDS history. She has sold more than 500,000 books. And now three of her books have been deemed inappropriate by Deseret Book.

It made for an interesting day.

To begin with, let me apologize for setting these two women in high relief to make a point.

In her letter, Sheri Dew urges people to "come home" to Deseret Book, implying many have been staying away. Some customers felt the store was selling objectionable books. She wants readers to see Deseret Book, once again, as a guiding light, as a polar star that people can use to chart their course.

Anita Stansfield, on the other hand, sees her books as companions for those struggling along the path. Like the people Christian meets in "Pilgrim's Progress," the characters in a Stansfield novel help us bear our burdens en route to the Celestial City.

As for me — I'm the smiley guy in the old Certs commercial who says "They're both right."

I don't see conflict. I see a complement.

For years Deseret Book has gone where few religious bookstores dare to go. They have stocked a full array of books from national mainstream publishers. For a time the store had the best of both worlds. But now, the world has changed. So much coarseness has crept into mainstream literature that Deseret Book feels its role as a refuge — as a sanctuary — is being compromised. Like the foyer of the church, the store sees itself as an entryway into a place where people can shed their worldly cares, dust off their ideals and find peace and strategies for coping.

In short, Sheri Dew is the keeper of the flame in the city on the hill.

Anita Stansfield holds the hands of those of us who struggle up that hill.

Tell me we don't need both.

"I get letters from people who feel strengthened by my books," Stansfield told me. "There are two sides, of course. Some people would use my books against the church. That is wrong. But others who complain about them are simply being self-righteous. I feel I have a message for women that will help them hold to their dreams."