Blushing Fifty Shades of Red

The World

The erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, about a young woman named Anastasia and her bondage-loving boyfriend Christian, has been jumping off shelves (and into e-book download queues) since it was released by Knopf's Vintage imprint earlier this year. Everybody's reading it, but a book this risqué makes for some awkward conversations. What if your mom is reading it? Rebecca Lee Douglas went there.  Is there book, movie, or other cultural sex trash that you ended up loving? Tell us in a comment below.

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!