Saladin's father is twisted. In fact, the entire cast surrounding Saladin's backstory are twisted.
And, I mean "in fact." The point of how Saladin's father only created him, and isn't responsible for his behavior as an adult, wasn't lost. However, we (meaning mankind) stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. It is this way in all aspects: culture, technology, religion, etc.. Saladin may be responsible for following his own path; but, his father most definitely started him down it. There is no relativism or lack of guilt to be found there.
Worse, I can't help but to break the fourth wall in the same vein. The novel is fascinating thus far. But, it's also a conveyance of memes. Now, I carry the same twisted concepts; and, am capable of their execution or imagining worse further down the same path. Am ...
I was pulled into Dracula by the Dracula Feed. But, it was so engrossing that I couldn't handle having the story presented in real-time.
I couldn't figure out why this one is so frequently banned. The other preteen books had clear themes that could be construed, in a more prudish sense, as risqué.
Pregnancy? That's the only one I could figure.
Reading the original analysis that have prompted so much criticism is nice. But, the masturbatory quotations found in the beginning of every chapter was too much. I get it, Steven Levitt is a genius.