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Barbara Kingsolver is a tremendous author. Her writing is brilliant and gifted. She is as anti-American as they come. Her books have been in pre-req College courses for years. It's the subliminals which can cause problems. If her books were balanced in the same courses with pro-American authors, No foul; no harm. But there is no balance; except that radical anti-American books are among the required reading, and in contrast Kingsolver and Russel Baker are at the top in "considered" literature -- there is no balance. Only this "skewed" pretend one.

In California, no doubts Webb's books would find quite the "home" even despite the anti-military rhetoric of California Democrats. They'd welcome his books but only if there were "gay friendly" clips in the book. Kingsolver's books are focused mostly on "environmentalism" and "no borders". I love a good "read". I'm ecclectic in what I read.

But putting books like Webb's (and Kingsolver's) in a college course is sneaky rip-off, IMHO. Books like these should be on bookstore fiction shelves; not in classrooms, many of which are subsidized by state and federal monies. The hugest racket in "college costs" are the books, liberal ones, authored by the instructor in pre-req courses. That's called a "monopoly" in some quarters of the world. And it reaps the author/professors HUGE loads of money.

I read "Fields of Fire". It was required reading as part of my Vietnam History class in college. I actually thought it was pretty good, and still have the book.

Until this pedophilia thing came up, I had no idea the guy who wrote Fields of Fire is the same guy running for Senate in Virginia. I do think it is somewhat underhanded to go after a politician who has written something in a novel. That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that this "man-boy-penis" stuff will cause less people to vote for Webb. After what Allen has endured in this race, I think it's smart politics to bring this out.