Response to Scenarios

Scenario Five: Chuck Palahniuk’s newest book, Haunted.

This book is clearly not Palahnuik's best. Critics weren't kind. Everyone seemed appalled at the violence within the work. While admitting that Palahnuik has admirers, both reviews seem to decry the work as pointlessly, pruriently violent. However, both reviews also mention passages of beauty, short stories within the longer novel that transcend the rest of the book, or darkly funny passages that showcase the author's talent.

Based on the author's reputation as well as the fact that both critical reviews reveal that the book has worthwhile passages and that the author is attempting to illustrate a larger point about society, I would argue that this work will not meet the definition of obscenity. In this case, the library made the right decision to purchase the book.