Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 10:39:13 -0400 Errors-To: tburns@mason1.gmu.edu Reply-To: xchange@gmu.edu Originator: xchange@gmu.edu Sender: xchange@gmu.edu Precedence: bulk From: "Louis James" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Book Review: Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do... X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0b -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas The following book review is slated for a forthcoming issue of "Cluastrophobia." I would appreciate it if anyone who likes it would forward it to any lists where they think it will be appropriate. Thanks Louis P.S. Claustrophobia may be reached at: phobia@bronze.coil.com or, Claustrophobia 400 N. High St. #137 Columbus, OH 43215 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ENCLOSURE BELOW<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do (The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society) by Peter McWilliams A Review By Louis James Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do is hands down the most wonderful book I've read in years. I'll tell you why I think so in a moment, but I won't be telling you that it's perfect. So-lest there be any doubt-I want to make it clear how much I think of Mr. McWilliams' book. Just reading the dust cover is educational, and the book has a good 800 pages packed with information and entertainment. Here are the basic facts. Peter McWilliams is a best-selling author, well known for his books: LIFE 101, You Can't Afford The Luxury of a Negative Thought, and, DO IT!. Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do, published by Prelude Press in 1993, has 815 numbered pages detailing the most compelling arguments I have ever encountered concerning the decriminalization of consensual crimes. McWilliams takes a brief look at why adults should be allowed to do whatever they want with their own person and property, as long as they do not physically harm the person or property of a non-consenting other, then quite simply takes every imaginable argument to the contrary and disproves it. Indeed, McWilliams went to such great lengths not to leave any stone unturned that this actually becomes a problem for the book. It's not that he goes into too much detail, or becomes boring; it's just that there is so much material that one can be overwhelmed. Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do brings new meaning to the term "exhaustive research." In fact, I felt quite exhausted when I finally finished. Exhausted, but very happy. As daunting as the sheer magnitude of the work is, the rewards for taking it on are equally large. These include the boxed quotes on almost every single page, the extraordinary amount of information, the examples, the stories, and the wonderful humor that binds it all together. For those who, in spite of these inducements, don't think they would have the time for such a lengthy tome, I would say (as McWilliams does) that no one need read the entire book. It is only necessary for a person to believe one of the arguments for them to accept the conclusion of decriminalization. If one already accepts the conclusion, the book can be used to look up McWilliams' responses to the objections one encounters most frequently. For example, many arguments for outlawing consensual activities are religious (Christian, in this country); McWilliams has done the most detailed and rigorous secular examination of scripture I have ever read. Not surprisingly, his research seems to show that Jesus of Nazareth would be far from pleased with the State's current efforts to legislate morality. As a bare minimum, I would say that the book is a desk reference everyone should own. It can also be a mind-altering experience, and the collection of thought-provoking quotes would be worth having, even if there were nothing else on the pages. The most brilliant aspect of the book is its stubborn refusal to adopt a partisan position, or become embroiled in the ideological perspective of any one group. McWilliams' approach is to aim his arguments squarely at the Average Joe (or Josephine). He does not assume that his reader is extremely well read, nor completely ill-informed. His thinking isn't geared toward a highly trained logician, nor does it assume the reader is an idiot. The basic idea seems to be that the reader, like most Americans, has a basic understanding of the importance of individual liberty, but thinks that some laws against some acts (between consenting adults that don't physically harm the person or property of a non- consenting other) are necessary. I can say that, as a Libertarian, there were definitely some things he said that made me uncomfortable, and I'm quite sure the same would be true of any Republicans or Democrats. Like Tom Paine two hundred years ago, McWilliams is crying out to all to forget about taking sides; current policy is absurd, not working, and destroying countless lives. Because it was designed to appeal to the broadest range of people possible, the book is likely to offend just about everyone at one point or another. I would urge readers not to focus on the flaws of any portion of the book, and open up to the whole message. While there is much sobering material in the book, McWilliams manages to present his arguments and facts in such a way that even a person with an attention-span as notoriously short as mine can read it and enjoy it. I kept turning the pages, partly just to see the quotes like this one from Mark Twain: "Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But I repeat myself." There is an imaginary exchange between God and Janet Reno, wherein Reno plays the role of Eve, and gets off the hook by assuming full responsibility for eating the forbidden fruit, rather than blaming the serpent. I never imagined that a book about something so serious could be so absolutely funny. I know I drove friends batty by constantly reading out loud to them, but parts of the book either made so much sense, were so frightening, or were so amusing, that I had to share them with the nearest person. Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do can be ordered directly from Prelude Press by calling 1-800-LIFE-101. I heartily recommend that everyone who cares about these issues do so.