West Cook News

Over the summer River Forest Public Library promoted a community book read of the sexually explicit When Franny Stands Up.  

The debut book is written by Chicagoan Eden Robins, set in post World War II, and follows a young Jewish woman trying to become a standup comedian with a goal of telling jokes that cause women audience members to have an orgasm.  

Book characters lament topics of race, class, violence, and sexuality, and explicit content includes lesbian encounters when the main character Franny is exploited by adult women.  

The River Forest library website provided a schedule of events. 

“On July 29 at 2 PM, Dr. Anette Bochenek will help put the book in context with a presentation on the history of women in comedy. Then, on August 5 at 2 PM, author Eden Robins will join us live and in person for a special event that will include a reading, a Q&A, and a book signing. Finally, on August 17 at 7 PM, we will have a community book discussion where you can voice your thoughts on the novel and hear what your neighbors have to say.”  

Some in River Forest have already shared their thoughts.

West Cook News received an email sent to the Library Board of Trustees that said “elevation and promotion of overtly sexual materials and the unapologetic promotion of queer materials and programing is concerning”.  

River Forest resident Carol Schweig emailed the library board questioning the rise in “promotion of queer and sexually explicit materials and programs” targeting children and, after reading When Franny Stands Up, questioned why the library’s invitation to the community didn’t come with a warning on adult content.  

Schweig wrote, “I’d like to know why the library would invite village residents to discuss a book about orgasms and explicit sexual encounters?”

West Cook News was forwarded a social media response by one River Forest resident that said “a small but vocal contingent of River Forest bigots are protesting the library’s LGBTQ+ content” and asked the private group to “please support the library & inclusivity and attend”.  Resident Kathleen Anderson Luttschyn also posted a screenshot where author Eden Robins responded saying the River Forest Public Library “asked if I would invite folks to come and support the program. I told them HELL YES my community would show up in force to support QUEER JOY and INCLUSIVITY and goddamn PUBLIC LIBRARIES”.

The library promotes books under its “LGBTQIA+ Titles for Teens” banner.  Some include: The Lesbian’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons, and The State of Us by Shaun David Hutchinson.

When Franny Stands Up was named a top book for 2022 by Chicago Reader and All About Romance.  It was named best queer book of 2022 by Autostraddle, a news and entertainment site for LGBTQ+ women and other trans people.  

West Cook News has reported on other public entities in River Forest advocating LGBTQ+ programming directed at children.  

West Cook News is unaware of a response from library board members, who include Cathryn Ruggeri, Deborah Hill, James Hopkinson, Eleanor Long, Ann Berens, Kosha Baxi Carstens, and Scott Delano.