STEPH DEROSA: BANNED BOOK CLUB >>>

Damn Judy Blume suckered me in at an early age with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge. Next thing you know I’m hiding underneath the covers, secretly reading Forever by flashlight. The kids totally “do it” in that book. I think I can blame her version of teenage sex and heavy petting for my adulthood obsession with amateur porn. Hell, I’ve got to blame somebody, haven’t I?

Long gone are the days of masking illicit book covers behind Time Life magazines, hiding under the covers, and reading those “banned books” your momma always warned you about. Challenged and banned books have come a long way from being chastised by the general public, just ask members of the Banned Book Club. This wayward group of literary enthusiasts, who engage in books that have either been banned or challenged, meet Tuesday, Feb. 17 at Tempest Lounge.

This month’s pick, Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat, can be purchased at King’s Books. Anyone is welcome to join the Banned Book Club Tuesday, so take part in the conversation and open your eyes to a world of half priced hors d’ouvres, open-minded opinions, and people who enjoy literacy for what it is â€" not for what society deems unfit for mental consumption.

[Tempest Lounge, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m., no cover, 21 and older, 913 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.272.4904]
[King’s Books, 218 St. Helens Ave. Tacoma, 253.272.8801]