"She was a model in the 40's and 50's and a photographer in the 60's and started writing - putting together these children's books - or they were marketed as children's books. I knew nothing about any of this; I just saw the book in the store and went, "This looks like an interesting subject."

The children's books that she created were all basically the same story. A little doll named Edie who is befriended by a older bear named Mr. Bear and his son, Little Bear; and the three of them get into adventures that invariably involve Little Bear getting Edie into mischief and then being punished, usually spanked, by Mr. Bear. Well, it turns out that her upbringing mirrors these stories that she was relating in her children's books and then goes even farther into more scandalous and unsavory territory.

I think part of the reason that I'm attracted to art in all its media is to experience things that I don't experience in my own life. That's one of the reasons I like John Waters' films. It's he's talking about something that most of us don't ever come in any contact with, and this story also is very similar to that.

I could have used more photographs. I'm as prurient as the next guy; and apparently, in addition to her children's work, she also did more adult work, and I would like to have seen more examples of that. But that's really my only criticism. In spite of its lack of literary ambition, I would give this book a five stars. It's not trying to be great literature; it just tells a great story, and it does it really well."

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