A continuation of 30 days of kink
Day 21: Favorite BDSM related book (fiction or non-fiction)
50 Shades. Yes, really.
I was only able to read less than half of the first book myself, and I’m really amazed just how popular it has been throughout the world despite the poor quality.
Most of the characters are a pick and mix of all the favourite characters from so many famous stories for years (the nature of ‘fan fiction’), the quality of writing and story structure has a lot to be desired, the obvious failures and flaws in the representation of BDSM, there’s countless examples of abuse, mistrust, etc..
But even with all that, 50 Shades has brought kink to the public discussion of the masses. It’s clearly opened up or enhanced a lot of desire for kink in millions of people around the world, which in itself is not a bad thing.
Yes it’s not a great representation (it is a work of fiction anyway), and of course there are better stories and examples out there, but none have been as popular so far, nor done so much to open so many doors (even people are expecting to find one thing the other side, but instead find something quite different).
There is a very simple conversation starter for kink, because of how much it became part of popular culture, that it’s not really out of place to ask “what did you think of 50 shades” to a potential vanilla. Their answer will be able to tell you a huge amount about their respective interest.