Replacing the Bible in Hotel Rooms With ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’?

The collected works of various comedians. Bill Hicks, say, or Billy Connolly.

Kinda gross after a few guests?

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury would be a cool book for hotel rooms. It is essentially PG-13 and is short and easy to read for anyone over the age of 10.

The themes of the book are cool, especially when the book is in an place like a hotel room.

I love the idea, but don’t know about the book.  Haven’t read it, but I understand that some people might find it offensive.  Of course they don’t have to read it, but let’s provide something that would appeal to both sexes and all ages.

I say you put whatever book has most recently won the Pulitzer for fiction (A Visit from the Goon Squad, right now).  Every year you can replace it with something new.

The Princess Bride! 

In principle, I would approve of replacing the Gideon bibles with quality fiction; however, “Fifty Shades of Grey” is not that and seems to me a step in the wrong direction. This is a book that originated as Twilight fanfiction, which glorifies abusive relationships and misrepresents BDSM in some rather terrifying ways (for instance, the book has no concept of consent, nor of safewords – I found the bits I’ve seen to be extremely rapey and disturbing).

I am concerned about this book because I worry that people who have never tried BDSM but are interested in doing so may read it and then be manipulated into abusive relationships by unscrupulous people because they don’t know any better. I’ve read a few articles suggesting this may already be happening, although I don’t have the links offhand – but I have seen Craigslist ads blatantly based on this book.

Get out of my brain!  That was my first thought, too!

I’d suggest books published by local authors, especially local independent authors. On the off chance that someone staying in the room is actually going to look at whatever book you provide, take the chance to expose them to something new and not the same recycled trash they can find anywhere. At the same time, you’re supporting local writers and making a cultural statement about your town.

I’d put the Hitchhiker’s Guide compilation in every hotel room nightstand drawer. The best “bible” there is. 😀

If you have to choose reading material for out-of-town guests, this is my favorite idea. A copy of the latest travel guide to the area would also be more useful, probably, than a bible or popular fiction. The lobby has the rack of marketing brochures to local attractions, not everyone is there on a week’s vacation, not everyone has a full itinerary, I think a decent travel guide is something I might get some use of, even on a stopover on a long trip. People might stay an extra day if there’s something neat to do or find some good reason to come back that way.

This is a great idea. When I travel, the last thing I want is to read, watch, and eat the same things I can at home. 

I’d also recommend plenty of short stories and poems, because I assume people aren’t usually spending long periods of time in their hotel rooms.

Every hotel should at least have a small library so that the room occupants can pick their own “bedtime literature”! And NO, pornographic, religious literature should NOT be part of the selection! 

Something better written and less misogynistic than Fifty Shades.  In those respects it’s hardly better than the bible.

 Because it got him on the news. This is clever marketing, nothing more, nothing less.

I’ve always liked the idea of having a kindle in every room, with a hotel library.

The Lord of the Rings (incl The Hobbit) is a vastly better guide to how to live one’s life than the Bible.  

(While still lacking in treating women as equals at least they are no longer chattel in that one.  In every other respect – like how to treat vanquished enemies, for example! – it’s FAR superior.)

How about the Ender saga, or maybe just Enders Game or Speaker for the Dead.

Still not quite literature, but a step in the right direction. I think hotel rooms would be so much more relaxing with a bookcase of various nonfiction and novels instead of a giant, imposing Advertisement Viewer bracketed to the wall. I don’t mind a Gideon Bible here and there, just don’t make it my only option.

The other argument against putting bibles in rooms that I haven’t seen is that anyone who actually wants to read a bible has their own with them.

That’s a great idea. A couple of times I’ve been stuck in a motel with nothing to read, would have been nice to pull open a drawer and find an Alice Munroe.

You’re not very familiar with Orson Scott Card, are you?  There’s a reason that humans derisively refer to the aliens as “buggers.”

Came to say this. Glad you had it covered. I call it shit-lit, personally.

My teenage (13) niece was looking for books on her nook the other day. 50 Shades was being suggested as TEEN reading. My mind was blown on who thought THAT was a grand idea.

“Looking For Alaska” by John Green. It’s an awesome read, as are the rest of his books. 

This is a completely honest question, prompted by Hemant’s suggestion that he would put Harry Potter in hotel rooms instead of bibles – I have no intention of being combative or sarcastic at all with this inquiry, and I adore Harry Potter.  That being said…:

How do atheists read the Harry Potter series, especially the events of the last book?  Did the conclusion of the series disappoint atheists because of the biblical parallels and the notion of “life after death,” or were these plot aspects able to be put aside in favor of a more general, universal theme?

“Not to mention, does a little kid really need to get their hands on erotica?”
Apparently little kids getting hold of rape and genocide stories (the so called “good bits” of the bible) was ok so I don’t see this being worse.

I thought the ending was a bit too reminiscent of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, to be quite honest.

But life after death shouldn’t come as a surprise in the Harry Potter universe. There are ghosts throughout the entire series. It would seem crazy to object to that given that there are all kinds of supernatural and magic elements.

Anna, that’s a good point.  I never thought of it like that.   But that also points out the distinction in different kinds of afterlives, as well: one were some “move on” and one where some don’t.   Interesting.

Hemant, I think you’re referring to Kings Cross, right?  Did that focus at the end there hurt your perception of the series as a whole?  Or were you able to look past it? (even though I kind of saw it as resolving a lot of tensions in the series)

I am guilty of adoring the ending of LOST.  But I can see how the ending was probably a big disappointment for…well, pretty much everyone on this blog, I’m assuming .  

From what I understood, only the “alternate reality” in the last season was a semi-“dream” (or a liminal space between life and afterlife).  Everything else supposedly actually took in what we would consider here-and-now reality.   Since the show has ended, I’ve heard many people say they were disappointed because “they were dead the entire time” or “the island was purgatory,” but I don’t think that was actually what the writers intended people to think…I thought that’s why Christian Shephard had his little speech at the end – to kind of clear up that confusion.  I don’t know, though.

Also, out of curiousity – why was it not fair for Harry to get closure?  That’s interesting – I guess I didn’t see it as “closure,” per se, but rather a sneak-peek and a choice; you can come hang out with me and your parents and everybody else you love now, since you actually died, or you have the choice to go back and defeat voldemort.  It’s been awhile for me too, though…

I think this is a FANTASTIC idea, along with the local travel guide mentioned by Kodie.  It’s one of those “why did nobody think of this before?” type of ideas.

This is why I won’t read it. I have nothing against BDSM…but when people who actually practice it are against the abusive, stalker behavior in this book…yeah, that’s a problem.

I’m just pissed at the automatic assumption that women like this sort of shit.

Frankly I’d rather read the Bible.

Plus, young adult fiction is overlooked too much these days unless it’s Twilight or a rip-off thereof. SOO much good YA stuff out there.

The Hobbit! It’s a great read and actually pretty family friendly.

LOL! You guys crack me up. You and your kids can access XXX porn on the room TV (you never set the security feature), you can access all the violence you want with the video game, and the regional phone book is right beside the bed if you’d like some professional companionship (straight, bi, gay or group). And you get all hot and bothered because there’s a Bible hidden in the nightstand? HaHaHaHa! I love it!