Who in our federal or state government has the power and authority to ban books? Secondly, is it possible to ban a book before it is published? These are questions that have recently arisen in my mind concerning John DiCocco's new book, FU: A Novel of Foxton University.
Just a few pages in, you'll discover the seedy underbelly crafted by John, a highly respected copywriter, creative guru, former Candlepins for Cash finalist, local cable access television personality, and golf enthusiast. John's demented world revolves around the prestigious yet fictitious Foxton University, where a plant, harvested deep in the Amazon and brought back to campus, has dramatically increased sexual energy within the school's biology lab.
If talk of aphrodisiacs, organic organisms, and libidos doesn't immediately turn you off, plow forward. Just be aware of those around you, for even the book's cover suggests uncivilized behavior and debauchery. Despite my strict Sunday School upbringing, I realized that I needed to move forward and complete the manuscript, casting aside my initial fears.
Here is a brief synopsis of FU:
It's the world's most potent aphrodisiac, and now everyone wants a piece.
Can dei is both the main crop and the religion of the isolated Amazonian Bahan Bahan people.
When a biology professor brings samples back to the Foxton University (FU) BioLab, Kizmi Enderby, his star PhD researcher, begins to experience unusual bouts of arousal.
Soon, all the researchers in the lab find themselves affected. Word leaks out, and multiple teams start scheming to corner the market on what could be an extraordinarily valuable resource.
Now it's up to Enderby and her colleagues to outsmart a powerful business school dean, a multinational corporation, the Vatican, and the crazed dictator of the nation where can dei is grown, all while protecting the independence of the villagers and their sacred crop.
No wonder it took the author over a dozen years to hoist all of this chicanery and salacious entertainment into a single novel. On the other hand, what is it about this piece that caused its rejection by 132 yellow-bellied agents and publishers over the past three years? To this journalist, I smell a pre-publication book banning! After all, this book contains almost every ingredient found in 99% of the films currently reaching both big and small screens.
Thankfully for John DiCocco and the rest of us desiring an occasional and much-needed belly-laugh, once he reaches his modest KICKSTARTER goal, FU: A Novel of Foxton University will soon be spinning off the presses!
If you'd like to help set this big cat free, please join John's Kickstarter campaign!