Banned titles a speciality at Jordan book shop

The notion of blacklisting book titles may seem almost quaint in the age of the Internet, when readers can go online to find any title in the world for purchase or free download.  Even in countries like Jordan, where the government controls censorship, it is becoming easier to acquire banned titles. Witness the cramped bookstore of Sami Abu Hossein, whose sale of banned books has rightfully earned his store, Al Taliya Books, a reputation as “the place in Amman to get the forbidden fruits of knowledge.”  In spite of government regulations, the rules aren’t strictly enforced and Hossein has never been arrested or even summoned by authorities.  Even the official in charge of determining which books are to be restricted recently announced in a newspaper article that "stopping books from reaching the people is a page we've turned."  Read the full story by Borzou Daragahi in the Los Angeles Times.