Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Bookstore of Forbidden Titles


The Los Angeles Times praises a bookstore in Jordan that sells forbidden titles.

From the piece...

"There are three no-nos," the owner of Al Taliya Books explains with a big smile. "Sex, politics and religion. Unfortunately, that's all anyone ever wants to read about."

He laughs uproariously.

"These are all the banned ones," he says, gesturing to the list taped to the wall above the store entrance, books on sexuality to ones that critically examine the life and times of the prophet Muhammad, the most taboo topic in the Arab world.

"We have them," he says, grinning broadly, "but don't tell anyone."

The tubby father of five seems to get a tremendous kick out of bucking the rules. (Not that they're strictly enforced; he's never been arrested or even summoned by the authorities.)

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