University of Minnesota Catches Heat Over Sex Title

By Michael Bronski, PW NewsLine -- Publishers Weekly, 4/9/2002

It's not often that a political flap prompts a university press to examine its policies. But a new book called Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by journalist Judith Levine is doing that at the University of Minnesota Press.

The book, which has drawn attention from local politicians as well as syndicated-radio personality Dr. Laura Schlesinger, advocates more openness about the subject of sex among teens. It also contains a section that does not reflexively characterize sex between adults and minors as abusive.

Since Levine began doing publicity for the book, the house has been bombarded with calls from conservative activists. On March 28, the director of the conservative political group Concerned Women for America issued a statement labeling the book "evil," "hideous," and "every child molester's dream-and every parent's nightmare." The story picked up traction when Schlesinger trumpeted the accusations on her syndicated radio show and said Levin has endorsed child molestation. Tim Pawlenty, the majority leader of Minnesota's House of Representatives and a potential gubernatorial candidate, publicly condemned the book, which he admitted he had not read.

Douglas Armato, the director of University of Minnesota's Press, defends his decision to publish. "It's being presented as a book about pedophilia, but it doesn't advocate pedophilia, and it isn't about that." He notes that while there are four pages in the book that talk about intergenerational sex it "focuses on many different issues concerning sexuality."

While the press stands by the book, political pressure--from both within and without the university--has prompted a review, a highly unusual move for a press to make. Christine Miziar, the v-p for research who supervises the press, has announced that the university will establish an outside advisory committee to survey the both the peer review and acquisitions policy of the press.

Armato admits the review is unusual but he hopes that it will "reassure everyone that the press was doing what it was supposed to do." As it happens, the press had arranged for five peer reviews on the title instead of the usual two, not because the book might prove controversial, "but because Levine's scholarship was so wide-ranging they felt they needed to consult experts in several fields including a child psychologist, a sociologist and a journalist," says Armato.

The book was rejected by numerous trade publishers--one editorial board called it "radioactive"--before landing at Minnesota. In light of the recent controversy, prospects for Harmful to Minors look strong. The initial print run of 3,500 has been supplemented with a second printing of 10,000 copies, based on strong orders. The book hit number 27 on Amazon.com last week and has hovered in the mid-50s since then.

The press seems to have drawn as much support as criticism, getting calls from individuals as well as public statements from the Association of American University Presses and the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union. (The latter urged the house to call off its review.) The publisher's Web site received an average of 27 hits a minute last Friday and crashed when the number of hits rose to 60 a minute. "Our main goal now is to let people know what is actually in the book," says Armato. "We feel that's the best way to counter the misinformation that's out there."