One of the More Bizzare Books at My Library

Let me first say that I LOVE my local library....I really do! They have such a nice selection of both new and old. Their website allows you to put books, DVDs and other media on hold and you get these nice email notifications when your stuff is ready to be picked up. You can even request things from other branches or inter-library loan, all on-line. Now, there is this one book. I don't even remember where I first heard about it, because I had it on hold and just picked it up yesterday. In fact, it was a bit more saucy and risque to a point of being something I probably wouldn't let little kids leaf through. It's a BIG picture book with photos on every page. Now, I'm not against having nude picture books or tasteful artwork, but this book was a bit different than I thought it was going to be.

Now, I had never heard of the author...in fact, I think she is a photographer, but the gist of the book is celebrity look-alikes in paparazzi-style photos in some enlightening poses and situations that most of the time, happen behind closed doors or we think happens behind closed doors. I must say, I was floored by some of the uncanny resemblances to actual celebrities. Some that I couldn't tell the difference included Ozzy Osbourne, the Queen of England, Princess Diana's boys, Madonna, the singer m&m....I had to smile at the Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise look-alikes. They weren't exactly on target. Some of the more fun photos included:

• Angelina Jolie and Madonna changing diapers

• Paris Hilton lying in her bunk while her jail bunkmate took a dump on the open toilet
  

• Madonna ironing

• Nicole Kidman flossing her teeth

• Prince William with his girlfriend in bed and her writing "King" across his chest in lipstick

• President Bush and Tony Blair literally horsing around

• J Lo sitting on the toilet with a pregnancy test strip

• Tom Cruise standing on a box to be as tall as Katie

• Michael Douglas vacuuming while Catherine lounged on the couch with a magazine

• Britney getting liposuction
  

Okay, so those were some of the light-hearted ones, not too risque...voyeuristic of the reader, but fun. So after turning a few more pages, I was surprised to see some of these renditions, which had me wondering a bit what the guidelines were for books to be available to all ages in a library:

• Prince William peeing on the side of a wall and you can plainly see him holding his Peter
  

• Jack Nicholson cavorting with a dozen topless and nude beauties, in one shot, going down the slide with one, grabbing her crotch

• Nicole Kidman nude in the shower

• George Bush and Tony Blair wearing bathrobes and touching each other (this was disturbing in a different kind of way, as well as some of the Michael Jackson and children shots)
  

• A crotch and nude shot of Marilyn Monroe
  

• Elton John getting his butt waxed (or at least that's what it looked like)

• Some guy giving Elton John head in a car, while Elton is wearing a fluffy wedding dress
  

Do libraries have limits on what they can have on their shelves? That also made me wonder about movies. I've seen some VERY risque, mostly foreign movies that weren't rated from my library. Are kids allowed to check those out? What about R-rated movies? Hey, I am not a prude...I'm all for nudity, I grew up in Europe, my kids have seen their share of naked people as well as movies like Private Ryan and Band of Brothers too, so those aren't the issues....I was just wondering. Oh, almost forgot, the name of the book is Alison Jackson Confidential.

What interesting books have you seen and read at your local library? What are your thoughts on what should and should not be available at your local library? Should Rated R material be separate? Are there rules at your library who can check what out? Just wondering...