Aug 19, 2006

"STRANGEWAYS HERE WE COME"

You've got to be shitting me! I heard a little rumble of this earlier, thought it was a joke and ignored it. But, just moments ago, I got the following email sent through my website. I normally wouldn't bother releasing the name or contact info, but she seems pretty gung-ho for having a dialogue of some sort, so feel free to write this lady and give her your thoughts on the matter. And, hey, feel free to copy me on it. I think this is hilarious!

(Note: I have not edited any of her email, so hold on to your hats, grammer/spelling police!)

mariloupeters@yahoo.com writes:

Dear Miss Guth,

My daughter returned from a trip to Chicago with some friends with a copy of your "book" and I read a little of it, as I believe it is important to be an involved parent. I have to tell you that I was disgusted after only a few pages and sat down to pray for my daughter (and you, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!). After praying about it, I spoke to my daughter who began to cry and admitted to attending a reading of yours last week in that city. I have forgiven her and she has confessed to me all of the things she read in your "book". She tells me you promote a homosexual agenda with a lesbian character (which you probably are too) and a character sacrificing her unborn child. Only a baby killer would write that and the cover is probably from a baby sacrifice. Is this true? I bet it is. I read the first part about a man touching himself and wanted to die it was so gross. People like you who have fallen away from His light cannot understand the evil you put in the world. I want to be a good person and give you a chance to repent I have told my church group about you and emailed some book stores I enjoy and asked them to not buy your books. I feel that because this "book" has come into my life uninvited, I am being called to help protect people from it.

Please repent for everyones sake's. It would be the moral thing to do to stop this "book" from poisoning any more girl's. I will be gathering like-minded, decent Christian people together to help me pray for this and for my daughter. I am countig on you to do the right thing.

Blessings,
Marilou Peters


Good grief. I only wish I could say I was making that shit up. I'm amazed and bewildered and, um, a little confused. One of my characters is bisexual, yes, and one of my characters has a stupid abortion. So what? Is there really a homosexual agenda? Man, if so, what is it? Can I play, too? Um, and, just because I wrote about a fictional character having an abortion, does that mean I had one? Shit, I had no idea. Where was I? Weird. By this thinking, does that mean that Dr. Suess actually had a giant talking cat pay him a visit? Not likely. Did Jules Verne actually go 20,000 leagues under? Probably not. Did Melville really stress about a giant whale? Um, no.

And, I wonder what got her daughter to my reading, anyway? I don't recall meeting a repressed kid dying to break free from her mom, but maybe she had a good poker face. I wonder what she was doing in Chicago anyway? Did she tell her mother she was coming to spread gospel messages? It just a little funky to me that she'd end up at my reading, when I make no secret whatsoever that they are less than wholesome. Could it be that she actually came to Chicago and had a pretty cool time and it unnerved her mother a bit? Very likely, I'd say.

Well, what can I say? I'm sorry this girl hurt her mother. I'm not sorry she read my book. I'm sorry her mother made her feel ashamed for reading it, though. I'm sorry this woman is so threatened by words on a page that she wants to take some kind of mobilizing action against me. I'm... mostly just amazed.

(Don't even get me started about the apostrophe business. We all make mistakes, but man, that's a real peeve of mine. )

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so fuckin' ridiculous. You had better believe that this woman will get quite the reasoned, yet pissed off email in her Crazy Xtian Inbox.

Anonymous said...

Is this for real?

I'm reading your "book" right now and I like it a lot. What's the big deal? And, why does she put "book" in quotes like that. It does exist. I own a copy.

So fuckn weird. Be careful.

Mrs. Loquacious said...

Gosh, I feel bad that you got such a nasty bit of hate mail from that lady. I am a Christian and in all of my study of the Bible (including my time spent studying *at* a Bible college), I have never read or learned about being hateful to my neighbour or judging those around me.

Rest assured that this half-crazed ranting and judgement is NOT what faith in Jesus Christ is all about, and I feel like I should be clarify because I for one do not wish to be lumped into the same category with Marilou Peters. YIKES!

wafelenbak said...

Can't...form...sentences...Head..about to explode...
Okay, my first thought is that this IS a joke. While I'm STILL anxiously awaiting the arrival of your book (grr! Shakes fist!), I can't imagine it's the worst thing Ms. Peters' daughter has been exposed to. Ms. Peters'? Is your daughter on myspace? Better keep an eye on that, first. I'm sure Amy's much safer than all the sexual predators out there.
Er, having a character that's bisexual and another that has an abortion doesn't mean you condone them in my humble opinion. Are we to assume Stephen King condones cars that come alive and kill, too?
Anyway, mind officially blown. I will continue to think someone sent you this letter as a joke under a fake e-mail address until it's proven otherwise. Letter writers--please report back!!

Amy Guth said...

Thank you, BeatPoet. Thank you, Karen. Nice to meet you both. You, too, Mrs. Loquacious. Thanks for your comment-- very, very nice to hear your take on her letter. And, Diane, I had the same thought about it being a joke perhaps-- but from who?-- let's hope we're right. Somehow, I don't think we are, though. Ewww. Ugh. Ew.

Leah in Chicago said...

I'm just trying to think what reading. It must have been at the Fixx, cause there is NO WAY it was that girl from the el. Her mom must be super-cool. Plus she was talking about bringing her high school english teacher to a reading, so double no way it was hers.

Oy! You'll be dodging crazy bullets during this whole book tour. Just collect them and make an exhibit.

Leen said...

Wow. I've never heard anything quite so stereotypically displayed as if straight out of the handbook for all Christians (no offense mrs loquacious). I would question the believability of said mzzzzzz peters.

Amy Guth said...

I still want to believe that this is all a big joke, too, but this morning, I got another email, so I'm starting to think maybe it is for real. How hilarious? Dont they realize that they're doing a weird form of publicity for me? Eh, let them, I say.

Anonymous said...

I think when the phrase "I wanted to die it was so gross" is used, you can go ahead and ignore it all!