Most Interesting Books of 2006
Smut
A Sex Industry Insider (and Concerned Father)
Says Enough Is Enough
by Gil Reavill
published by Sentinel
Gil Reavill, an angry dad, thoughtfully rants about the growing menace of smut. Reavill, and his 12-year-old daughter, can't avoid it. Smut fills up too much of prime-time tv. It's taking over the Internet, with more than 260 million porn web pages. We're welcoming it into our homes: each year, Americans rent 800 million X-rated videos and DVDs. And smut can be seen in public places: on billboards, in magazine racks (in full view of minors), in slutty fashions, and on the DVD screen of the car beside you when you stop for a red light. The book's final chapters contain practical suggestions about how to keep smut in its place. The value of Reavill's book is his cool perspective. He is strongly against censorship: smut has the right to be produced and consumed by adults who desire it. With equal passion the author is against the abuse of freedom: those who do not want pornography thrust upon them, have the right to a porn-free environment.
— Michael Pastore
