A local woman who fought the city to a draw over a library book said she’s still stunned by the experience.

A grandmother in her mid-60s, JoAn Karkos checked out books on sex education from Lewiston and Auburn public libraries. She didn’t return them because they were obscene, she said.

In an act she called civil disobedience, she kept the books and sent checks to the respective libraries to cover their costs. They sent the checks back. And her tangle with the law got even tighter.

In August, she was confined to a courtroom for refusing to return the Lewiston Library’s copy of “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health.” The judge later relented, released her and gave Karkos until the end of the week to produce the book – and pay a $100 fine within a month.

Karkos refused, dragging the city administrator into the mess. He dropped the matter, saying she still had to pay the fine. She didn’t. But the pastor of a local ministry did pay it.

Contacted earlier this month, Karkos said she’s still incensed.

“I’m just amazed that the library continues to scandalize our youth and they’re protected under the First Amendment to do so,” she said.

She tried to get a lawyer to take her case against the city. She found none.

Since then, she hasn’t set foot in the library.

As for the books, she keeps them in the trunk of her car.

“I don’t want them in my house,” she said.

– By Christopher Williams