In the wake of Lena Dunham’s brush with controversy after someone fully read her book and decided to point out an inappropriate, to say the least, description of Dunham touching her sister’s vagina, one would automatically assume that if any subsequent editions of the memoir published by Random House were to be altered, it would be this. And yet, it’s actually a segment detailing Dunham’s supposed sexual assault by an Oberlin alumnus.
A man fitting the description of “Barry” in the book, a purple boot-wearing Republican, finally caught the attention of Random House after threatening litigation. And what with Dunham causing a stir right and left with the gross sexual nature of her foray into literature, it’s no wonder the publisher was quick to placate by offering to pay his legal fees and emphasize that the name Barry is as pseudo as Dunham’s intellect in future digital editions (since ain’t nobody buyin’ print).
All in all, it seems that Random House is losing more than they’re gaining from the ire Dunham has drawn in as a result of this novel. But hey, she’s “the voice of a generation,” so how could they have refused her?