My wife asked me to read 50 Shades of Grey a while back so that I could give her my take on the book. This I did. I came away with two impressions: One, this is just pornography for women. Two, this is pornography for the Right Wing. Details below.
Spoiler Alert
Granted, I have only read the book once, that is enough for me, so some small details might be a bit off, but here it goes.
One, Grey is a "self-made" billionaire at age 27, he got there by being disciplined (in a personal/business sense), working hard, and "knowing what people want". He surrounds himself with talented people that he knows how to motivate to do their best work. There is no mention of what/how he got his success other than passing references to communications and technology. The success that his family enjoys apparently is not a factor, Mom is a successful doctor, dad is a prominent attorney, seems to play no part in his meteoric rise to the top of the business world. He seems to think that without him, thousands would not make their mortgage, so his business practices are justified, since he does some "good works".
Two, He is a "Man", he is always in control and knows what is right, in all of his adult relationships (personal and business), his is the opinion that counts. He does this by what are referred to as "stalker tendencies", he is willing to invade personal information in ways that are not clear, but would seem to be extra-legal, such as knowing the balance of a stranger's bank account, and tracking cell phones. It is all about "safety", which means that he gets what he wants, and others can not be trusted to look after themselves. He is willing to fire people that displease him, though the only person that happened to get fired was an African-American woman (more on that in a bit). He can not even trust the police to do the right things.
Three, the place that women hold in this world is that of servant/pleasant diversion. The only successful, seemingly self made women in the whole book are two doctors, which is of course a profession that women could be good at (not my personal opinion). Nearly every woman that has some success, that success is due to either Grey's largess, or due to inheritance. Ana, Grey's girl; Kate, rich family; Mia, Grey's sister; Mrs. Robinson, Grey's business partner; Grey's mom, doctor and rich husband; the only counter example is the architect, who is portrayed as a bit of a man-trap, going after every rich/handsome guy in Seattle. Women are there for his benefit. They must make him happy, or they get no reward, and are not entitled to the time of day. For the women in Grey's life, naked and in the kitchen is where he wants them. As for pregnant, that gets to...
Four, this is a very pro-life book/series. Any woman faced with a possibly unwanted pregnancy, goes through with the pregnancy. Even if that means severe consequences. It is not even an unrealistic option. Further, all birth control is the responsibility of the woman. Granted, while the pill is being waited on, Grey does use condoms (huge plot hole that they are in his bed stand, even though he never has sex in his room) but can not wait to have to not use them (ever heard of a vasectomy?). He is all about preventing pregnancy, especially if it does not reduce his pleasure, to the extent that he decides which type she will use.
Fifth, as it relates to gun control and law enforcement, guns save the day, even though Grey is horrified by them, he keeps one in his office. His security has them, and are apparently willing to use them. Ana was taught how to use them, as well as other self-defense techniques (so she is not helpless). What really gets me, is the portrayal of the justice system/bail system that a kidnapper would be granted bail (sure, the FBI would allow that) without telling the potential kidnapees that the kidnapper was out. This seems to be either a willful misunderstanding of the system, or a condemnation of a revolving door criminal justice system.
Now granted, it is really a book about somewhat rough sex, and to make the character of Christian Grey acceptable to women in terms of his sexual prowess, he has to have been abused and placed on a road not of his choosing, so that his relationship with Ana can be full of firsts for him as well. (Imagine the reception of the book by women if Grey's sexual appetite was due solely to his choices, not dictated by Mrs. Robinson, he would be a male slut who gets his kicks by beating women). But it seems to hit all of the high notes for it to be as much of right wing pornography as Atlas Shrugged.
It would be interesting to find out if various candidates have read this (I am sure that more than a few have, ebooks make it easy) and if they would be willing to admit/comment on the topics in the book.