For the first time in its history, the Dyersville Library’s sent a book back to the publisher. Before putting it on the shelves, the Library Board voted to reject “Sari Says,” a book of questions and answers by a journalist who writes an advice column for teens in an online magazine. Sari Locker says her book has eleven chapters, and one deals with sex. All the other chapters are about school, parents, friends and fashion, but in the chapter that upset the Library Board, she says there are frank answers to questions teens ask. She says there’s nothing like an explanation of sexual techniques, but she tells teens how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and answers questions about behavior. Locker says her book was honored by the American Library Association.Locker says that means in the opinion of the American Library Association, the book should be on library shelves and is aimed perfectly at teens. Her column appears regularly on the Internet in Teenpeople-dot-com, and more about the author is at her own website, “sariSays-dot-com.” Locker, who also wrote for the print publication “Sassy” before it folded, has a challenge to northeast Iowa library patrons.She wants folks to go to the Dyersville library and see if there aren’t magazines and books on the shelves already that have information just as explicit as her book. “Sari Says” is the fourth book Locker has published, and the writer says Harper Collins, the publishing company, didn’t have any reservations about the book’s content.
