Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to express my disappointment with the Hong Kong Book Fair this year. I found there were many book stalls selling books with inappropriate contents, such as sexy images of young models and violence.
The Book Fair is supposed to be a decent annual cultural event of Hong Kong. It provides book-lovers with easy access to various kinds of books at a discount. It attracts thousands of people every year. Most fair-goers want to read books with meaningful and useful contents, not sex appeal or violent fights, let alone the giant eye-catching sexy posters at the venue. Once book-lovers like me feel that the aim of the Book Fair has not been reached, they would simply choose not to go anymore. This will seriously erode the reputation of the fair.
Besides, most visitors are teenagers. They can buy books with sex or violent contents easily at the fair. It is a fact that books are important media to promote values to readers. However, the message behind these books is that using sex appeal can make money and violence can solve all problems. Some teens may be affected by the trend and imitate the distorted concepts of the books, engaging in taking sexy photos or violence. It is totally unacceptable to allow sales of these kinds of books in an event which people at all ages can go to.
As the name indicates, what the fair sells is books, not comics or photo books which contain pictures or images more than words. There is a comics fair already in Hong Kong which is held a month after the Book Fair. I seriously doubt if it is necessary to sell comics in the Book Fair.
Since the Book Fair is an important event in Hong Kong, which people at any age can attend, I strongly urge you to ban all books with sexual and violent contents for non-artistic purposes. There should also be a clear line between photo books and books. The proportion of images and words of all books, except for children’s readers, should be clearly stated. Books not meeting the standard could be sold at the comics fair. As a socially responsible organizer, it is utterly crucial that you take suitable measures to provide a healthy reading environment for every citizen, but not create an indecent atmosphere.
Sales of books with sexual or violent contents in the Book Fair should be condemned. I sincerely hope you could take action to stop this trend from growing as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully
Pat Lee
Pat Lee