Author Ardis Cameron’s 2015 book Unbuttoning America: A Biography of ‘Peyton Place’ uses interviews, historical documents, fan letters and media accounts to examine how the 1956 historical fiction piece morphed into a cultural phenomenon.
Cameron believes that the best-selling Grace Metalious novel was a precursor to second-wave feminism, as it tackled sex, sexuality, poverty, sex, class struggles, poverty, sex … and other things.
Cameron’s book includes a fan letter from an ex-preacher from Oklahoma, who advised Metalious, “If you ever launch another book, go a little stronger. Include some Spanking Episodes also Oral scenes. Yours truly, C.O. Collins.”
Apparently, some things never change in Oklahoma, including the inappropriate use of punctuation and capital letters.
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2015.