From Chris Offutt.

In the mid-1960s, Dad purchased several porn novels through the mail. My mother recalls him reading them with disgust — not because of the content, but because of how poorly they were written. He hurled a book across the room and told her he could do better. Mom suggested he do so. According to her, the tipping point for Dad’s full commitment to porn, five years later, was my orthodontic needs.

I haven’t even read the entire essay yet, but I love this paragraph so much I wanted to pass it on. I’m going back to read the rest of the article right now. The author, Chris Offutt, has a memoir coming out about his father. I want to read it.

Read the rest of “My Dad, the Pornographer,” from New York Times Magazine.