Psychology: sexual behaviour Books

Book SynopsisDespite being integral parts of all our identities, sexuality, sex and intimacy are what many would call the Last Taboo in dementia care, usually seen as 'problem behaviours' to be stopped and dealt with. Informed by a combination of accessible neuroscience and person-centred compassion, Danuta Lipinska's new book shows that the human need for intimacy, attachment and sexual expression is as important for supporting the wellbeing and personhood of people with dementia as communication and care. Considering the brain as the body's biggest sex organ, it examines the cognitive changes that occur in dementia and what these changes mean in the context of sexual behaviour and consent. Taking Carl Rogers' Core Conditions and Tom Kitwood's psychological needs of persons living with dementia as a starting point, Lipinska offers a unique model for person-centred conversations about sex and sexuality that we have not seen before.Trade ReviewWonderful ... The case studies are really helpful in helping us to understand all aspects of dementia, sex and wellbeing, and the points for reflection could also be used as part of an informative discussion or training session with staff. -- Caroline Baker, Director of Dementia Care, Barchester HealthcareA very valuable and informative volume, bringing together the two complex issues of sex and dementia ... that cannot, and should not, be ignored. -- Peter Wells, Accredited sex and relationship therapist and supervisor, Anglican Priest and Honorary CanonDanuta must be applauded for her sensitive and insightful book - it is refreshing and will go a long way to lifting the lid on a subject that is often dismissed and taboo. Well done and thank you Danuta! A must read for everyone. -- Karen Borochowitz, DementiaSA (www.dementisa.org) and Stuward (www.stuward.com)In addressing human sexuality and its manifold expressions, this book demonstrates that talking about a person's sexual needs can be a profoundly caring act and a deeply humanising process. In exploring the sexual self with compassion, respect and openness, Danuta's reflections on the subject help us to understand more about who we are and what matters to us. After reading this book it is very hard to imagine how anyone could offer person centred dementia care without considering the sexual needs and sexual identities of people living with a dementia. -- Luke Tanner, body psychotherapist and dementia care trainerHaving read this book I know that at least one of the author's goals was accomplished with me: I have been able to "reflect on (my) innermost thoughts and feelings... to gain a real sense of where (my) blind spots may be". Anyone in health and social care who works with people living with dementia (patients or carers) will benefit from her passion, experience and expert knowledge passed on in this book. -- Uruakanwa Ekwegh, Specialty Doctor in Medicine for older people * British Geriatrics Society blog *Table of ContentsForeword by Caroline Baker. Introduction. 1. Dementia and Wellbeing. 2. In the Beginning....Biology. 3. Responding to the need for sensuality, sexuality and intimacy. 4. Person-centred conversations about sex, dementia and wellbeing. 5. Explorations Through Training. Afterword by Sally Knocker. References.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBy analysing research into links between low psychological wellbeing and sexual risk-taking behaviours that occur in men who have sex with men (MSM), this book demonstrates what impact social and psychological interventions could have on MSM at risk of poor sexual outcomes. At the heart of the book is Identity Process Theory, co-developed by the author, a social psychological theory of identity construction, threat and coping. The book considers the emerging debates in MSM's health, such as the use of Grindr and 'chemsex', and also explores the socio-structural factors, such as homophobia and stigma, that threaten the self-identity of MSM. The book offers principles and techniques from this theory that can be used as an effective intervention and therapeutic model with MSM to build more positive identities and reduce sexual risk-taking.Trade ReviewIn an era where the life-expectancy for people living with HIV is similar to the general population, combatting internal and external stigma is ever more important as one of the remaining challenges ahead of us. Enhancing well-being and sexual health amongst men who have sex with men and indeed all people living with HIV is at the heart of this and the British HIV Association strongly supports this work. -- Professor Chloe Orkin, Chair of the British HIV AssociationThis is an important resource for all of us who work in supporting and empowering men who have sex with men. Professor Jaspal invites us - as we wrestle with identity, sexual risk and wellbeing - to consider our approach to working with this group. This is a must read resource for all of us working within this space. -- Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins TrustTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Foreword by [TBC]; Foreword by Dr Laura Waters; Part I: Introduction; 1. Social Psychology for Practitioners in Sexual Health and Wellbeing; Part II: Theory & Research; 2. Self-Identity, Sexual Health & Wellbeing among MSM; 3. Social Psychological Approaches to Promoting Health & Wellbeing; 4. Identity Process Theory: Social Representation, Identity & Action; Part III: Practice; 5. Promoting Psychological Wellbeing among MSM; 6. Developing Effective Sexual Health Interventions for MSM; 7. Incorporating Tenets of Identity Theory into HIV medicine; Part IV: Conclusion; 8. Integrating Theory into Practice; References; About the Author; Subject Index; Author Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA specialist book for mental health professionals, sex therapists and educators to develop and improve their clinical work with trans clients with regards to their sexual relationships and sexuality. It provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the subject, and relates to both clinical practice and theory.Topics explored include the shifting of sexual orientation during or following gender transition; gender dysphoria and co-occurring autism spectrum disorder; negotiating issues of sexuality with partners during transition; eating disorders; and an exploration of the intersection of trans identities and disability. It uniquely touches on perspectives from the field of sex therapy, featuring chapter authors from disciplines including social work, marriage and family counseling, early childhood education, sex therapy, sex education, psychology, and women's studies.Trade ReviewA remarkable contemporary contribution to gender and transgender studies * Psychology of Sexualities Review *A breath of fresh air. The enclosed essays present a wealth of lived experience amidst a field stale with rhetoric. * Journal of Constructivist Psychology *Extensively researched, thoughtfully organized and a thoroughly enjoyable book to read. This text provides a starting point for students, academics, policy advocates, and practitioners of psychoanalysis, marriage and family therapy, sexology, gender studies, psychology, and social work to improve their work with the TGNC community. * American Psychological Association *Working with trans patients in the area of sexuality can be exciting and challenging, but also daunting given the paucity of clinical research, conversation and case-study that blights the field. Bracingly defying the historic exclusion of trans experience from cultural discourse, the authors and editors of this intellectually exuberant and groundbreaking work have issued a collective rallying-cry that is sure to be embraced far and wide: 'let's (finally) talk about trans sex'. -- Ian Kerner, PhD LMFT, sex therapist and NY Times best-selling authorThought-provoking, cutting-edge, heart-felt, and long overdue this book examines the intersections of psychoanalysis, sexuality and TGNC experiences. No longer are trans experiences only about identity butalso include sexuality and relationships both inside and outside of the treatment room. Bravo! Brava!...and beyond the gender binary. -- Suzanne Iasenza, PhD Psychologist & Sex Therapist, NYC Author of “Transforming Sexual Narratives"This book is an artful and impressive compilation of essays, interviews, opinions and case studies exploring the full spectrum of trans identities and sexuality. It should be a definitive 'go to' book for all health professionals who work with trans communities. -- Asa Radix, MD, MPH Senior Director of Research and Education, Callen-Lorde Community Health CenterTable of ContentsForeword - Kate Bornstein & Barbara Carralles, Symposium Plenary Presenters; Preface - Bob Najjar, LCSW & Joanne Spina, LCSW, Co-Directors, Psychotherapy Center for Gender and Sexuality; Preface - Ron Taffel, PhD, Chair of the Board of Directors, Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy; Introduction - Gary J. Jacobson, LCSW, Jan C. Niemira, LCSW, & Karalyn J. Violeta, LCSW; 1. The Evolution of Sexuality During Gender Transition - Kelly Wise, PhD, LCSW, CST & Dulcinea Pitagora, PhD, MA, MEd, CST; 2. Living in this Disembodied Body: Navigating the Treatment of Eating Disorders in the Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Community - Jessica Kosciewicz MS, RD; Asher Pandjiris, MA, LCSW; Andrew Zarate, RD; 3. Hormones and Handcuffs: The Intersection of Transgender Identities, BDSM, and Polyamory - Laura A. Jacobs, LCSW; 4. Two Middle-Aged, White, Jewish, Cisgender Lesbians Sitting Around Talking About Trans Sex - Jane Fleishman, PhD & Julie Mencher, MSW; 5. The Intersection of Gender Diversity and Asexuality: Psychotherapy with TGNC Individuals Who Identify as Ace - Katherine Rachlin, PhD; 6. The Pervert on your Couch: Psychoanalysis and Trans/Sexual Health - Tobias B.D. Wiggins; 7. Integration of Desire, Sexual Orientation, and Female Embodiment of a Transgender Woman Previously Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Report - Karalyn Violeta, LCSW & SJ Langer, LCSW; 8. Interviews with Partners of Transgender People: On Sex and Intimacy - D.M. Maynard, MA, MSSAS & Olivia Fischer, BKIN; 9. Sexual Identity and Behavior in Trans Intellectually Disabled People: What Do We Know? - Andrew Triska, LMSW; 10. Plenary Panel: Supporting Sexuality Across the Gender Spectrum - SJ Langer, LCSW, Ronica Mukerjee, DNP, FNP-BC, MsA, LAc, AAHIVS; Gail Knudsen, MD, Mister Cris

Read more less

Book Synopsis'With their fascinating synthesis of two fields of study, leadership and sexuality, editors James Beggan and Scott Allison provide a forum for scholars to investigate two concepts that have long shaped human behavior and captured both academic interest and the curiosity of the general public. In addition to its appeal to academics, this cross-disciplinary book will interest anyone who has ever had a boss, been on a date, or contemplated an office romance.' -Robert Giacalone, John Carroll University, US Although both leadership and sexuality are important and heavily researched topics, there is little work that addresses the interaction of the two areas. Leadership and Sexuality: Power, Principles, and Processes is a scholarly synthesis of leadership principles with issues related to sexuality and sexual policy-making. The authors' multi-disciplinary analysis of the topic examines sexuality in the context of many different kinds of leadership, exploring both the good and the bad aspects of leadership and sexuality. These integrated topics are examined through three broad areas of study. The first involves individuals who become leaders in sexual domains by advancing new views of human sexuality. The second involves problems that leaders of businesses and other institutions must address as a result of issues related to human sexuality, including sexual harassment and sexually-based discrimination in the workplace. The third area involves understanding how being a leader influences sexual desire and sexual attraction, and may impact the course of workplace romance and the expression of sexuality. Written to be accessible to both laypeople and scholars, this book will appeal to academics and scientists interested in human sexuality as well as many related disciplines, including psychology, sociology, leadership studies, heroism science, political science, religion, and economics. Contributors: S.T. Allison, J.K. Beggan, L. Dwight, O. Efthimiou, J. Fyke, S. Huss, K. Lucas, S. Pichler, C. Pitzulo, C. Shakeshaft, W.R. Stayton, M.B. Stone, B. Trisler, E. Turley Trade Review'The chapters in this excellent edited volume illuminate what is often overlooked: leadership's sexual side. From the leaders of the sexual change and transformation movements, to those who inflict their heternormative biases on others, to the inappropriate, immoral, and illegal sexual missteps of so many leaders, there is much to be gained by examining, explicitly, the sexuality of leadership. Leaders and leadership are fascinating topics, but add a dash of sex, and they become all the more intriguing.' --Donelson R. Forsyth, University of Richmond, US'The interplay between sexuality and leadership is a provocative topic that people tend to give a wide berth to, like a gorilla in a room. Not surprisingly, Jim and Scott climb on the gorilla, and bring along some collaborators to show us what can happen when leaders shy away from confronting sexuality-based issues within the group, or misinterpret the sexual intent of a behavior, and draws on real-world events many of us would like to forget. Far from sensational, this volume gives us the opportunity to move past the skittishness and finally address sexuality as an influence on social behavior.' --Craig Parks, Washington State University, US'Beggan and Allison's edited book fills the void created by the neglect of scholarship on the links between sexuality and leadership. In this collection of chapters written by social scientists from several fields, authors explore multiple ways in which leadership and sexuality can be related, including, for example, some leaders' sexual abuse of others and the sexuality implications of social dancing. I can't think of an edited book on leadership with a more fascinating and unusual set of chapters.' --Alice Eagly, Northwestern University, USTable of ContentsContents: Introduction Sexuality in Leadership: A Long-neglected topic with vast implications for individuals and society James K. Beggan and Scott T. Allison Part I Sexual Leaders 1. Playboy, Icon, Leader: Hugh Hefner and Postwar American Sexual Culture Carrie Pitzulo 2. Planned Parenthood: 100 Years of Leadership and Controversy Sheila Huss and Lucy Dwight 3. Leadership and the Free the Nipple Movement: An Autoethnographic Case Study James K. Beggan Part II Leadership and Sexuality 4. A Failure of Courageous Leadership: Sex, Embarrassment, and (Not) Speaking Up in the Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal Jeremy Fyke, Bree Trisler and Kristen Lucas 5. Because They Can: Adult to Student Sexual Abuse in PreK-12 Schools Charol Shakeshaft 6. Heterosexism in Organizations: The Importance of Transformational and Heroic Leadership Shaun Pichler 7. Leadership in Strip Clubs Maggie B. Stone 8. Training Religious Leaders in Sexually Related Issues William R. Stayton Part III The Sexuality of Leaders 9. “Stupid is as Stupid Does” or Good Bayesian? A Sympathetic and Contrarian Analysis of Bill Clinton’s Decision to Have an Affair with Monica Lewinsky James K. Beggan 10. Leading and Following? Understanding the Power Dynamics in Consensual BDSM Emma Turley 11. Does the “Zipless Dance” Exist? Leadership, Followership, and Sexuality in Social Dancing James K. Beggan and Scott T. Allison 12. Heroic Leadership in The Walking Dead’s Postapocalyptic Universe: The Restoration and Regeneration of Society as a Hero Organism Scott T. Allison and Olivia Efthimiou Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhy are we so obsessed by the pursuit of happiness? With new ways to measure contentment we are told that we have a right to individual joy. But at what cost? In an age of increasing individualism, we have never been more alone and miserable. But what if the true nature of happiness can only be found in others? In Radical Happiness, leading feminist thinker Lynne Segal believes that we have lost the art of radical happiness- the art of transformative, collective joy. She shows that only in the revolutionary potential of coming together it is that we can come to understand the powers of flourishing. Radical Happiness is a passionate call for the re-discovery of the political and emotional joy that emerge when we learn to share our lives together.Trade ReviewAn expansive and contemplative exploration of love, joy, desire, and the concepts surrounding Utopias, all of which find the author navigating human psychology, sociology, societal mores, and the economics of happiness. A calm, refreshing breath of fresh air in a dangerously uncertain moment in human history. * Kirkus Review *The socialist feminist we need to listen to right now. Her book is an important one because we need "a politics of hope" like never before. -- Emma Rees * Times Higher Education *A unique capacity for clarity and wit, along with her courage of intellect. -- Sheila RowbothamWide ranging in its analyses of feminist, political and social theory -- Margaret Drabble * [on Out of Time] *An engaging, enlightening read for anyone who wants to ponder the links between personal dissatisfaction and political disengagement - and possible remedies. The idea of collective happiness as the root of much satisfaction is simple, but deceptively hard to write about, let alone achieve. Segal succeeds in inspiring on many levels. -- Isabel Berwick * Financial Times *Radical Happiness ultimately arrives at a convincing argument about our need to overcome the now-common tendency to view dystopian thinking as a political act in and of itself . If happiness is 'not so much an emotion, a psychic state or inner disposition, but rather a way of acting in the world,' then so is the path to real social change. It is defined not by a list of demands, but by a commitment to the common good. A feminism that's about showing up for each other and not merely ourselves: how radical. -- Charlotte Shane * The Nation *Straightforward in argument and essential in content for our times ... a source of much joy and inspiration. * Peace News *There can be something exhilarating about taking part in a protest or other instance of activism. In her book Radical Happiness, Lynne Segal examines this side of activism, and also explores the ways in which avoiding politics entirely may be tied to a greater sense of disquiet and frustration. It's an incisive look at another facet of politics and society. -- Tobias Carroll * Signature *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSexuality is a complex and multifaceted domain – encompassing bodily, contextual and subjective experiences that resist ready categorisation. To claim the sexual as a viable research object therefore raises a number of important methodological questions: what is it possible to know about experiences, practices and perceptions of sex and sexualities? What approaches might help or hinder our efforts to probe such experiences? This collection explores the creative, personal and contextual parameters involved in researching sexuality, cutting across disciplinary boundaries and drawing on case studies from a variety of countries and contexts. Combining a wide range of expertise, its contributors address such key areas as pornography, sex work, intersectionality and LGBT perspectives. The contributors also share their own experiences of researching sexuality within contrasting disciplines, as well as interrogating how the sexual identities of researchers themselves can relate to, and inform, their work. The result is a unique and diverse collection that combines practical insights on field work with novel theoretical reflections.Trade ReviewA very welcome addition to the field. It will be enormously useful for developing reflective research across a range of disciplines. * Feona Attwood, Middlesex University *A rich and engaging exploration of the ways in which multifaceted sexual subjects and diverse sexual practices are situated, embodied and experienced in different contexts. It raises important questions about how we come to know and research contemporary sexual life worlds. * Jacqui Gabb, The Open University *Revisits the perennial question of why and how to produce knowledge on sexuality. Its merit is to use epistemologically diverse points of entry to weave connections across generations of researchers. * Sonia Corrêa, co-editor of Development with a Body *A profoundly honest and rigorous collection, full of insights into the unpredictable challenges and also the reverie of research on sex and sexualities. It combines theory, methods, ethics and stories – everything the researcher needs. * Yasmin Gunaratnam, Goldsmiths, University of London *Table of ContentsEditorial Introduction - Paul Boyce, Charlotte Morris and Andrea Cornwall Part One: Knowability Introduction - Paul Boyce 1. The Insinuating Body - Cara Judea Alhadeff 2. Making Sense of Ambiguity: Theory and Method - Eva Cheuk-Yin Li 3. Can Quantitative Applied Sexual Health Research Be Critical and Feminist? Towards a Critical Social Epidemiology to Support Targeted STI Testing and Contraception in Primary Care - Natalie Edelman 4. Sex Shop Stories: Shifting Disciplines in Design Research - Fran Carter Part Two: Creative Methodologies Introduction - Laura Harvey 5. Body Mapping, Stories and the Sexual Rights of Older People - Catherine Barrett 6. Patchworking: Using Creative Methodologies in Sex and Sexualities Research - Catherine Vulliamy 7. Dirty Talk: On Using Poetry in Pornography Research - P.J. Macleod 8. The Cover Version: Researching Sexuality through Ventriloquism - E. McGeeney, L. Robinson, R. Thomson and P. Thurschwell Part Three: Negotiating Research Contexts Introduction - Yingying Huang 9. Hesitating at the Door: Youth-led Research on Realising Sexual Rights Informing Organisational Approaches - Vicky Johnson 10. Sexuality Research ‘In Translation’: First-time Fieldwork in Brazil - Natalie Day 11. The Contingency of the Contact: An Interpretive Re-positioning through the Erotic Dynamics in the Field - Alba Barbé i Serra 12. Sangli Stories: Researching Indian Sex Workers’ Intimate Lives - Andrea Cornwall Part Four: Researcher Bodies, Identities, Experiences Introduction - Hannah Frith 13. Rotten Girl on Rotten Girl: Boys’ Love ‘Research’ - Anna Madill 14. Diary of a Sex Researcher: A Reflexive Look at Conducting Sexuality Research in Residential Aged Care - Katherine Radoslovich 15. Mum’s the Word: Heterosexual Single Mothers Talking (Or Not) About Sex - Charlotte Morris 16. Sex and the Anthropologist: From BDSM to Sex Education, An Embodied Experience - Nicoletta Landi Appendix: An Interview with Ken Plummer - Charlotte Morris

Read more less

Book SynopsisPRISM AWARDS FINALIST 2021GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS - YOUNG ADULT LIBRARY SERVICES ASSOCIATION (YALSA) 2022"When I was in school, everyone got to a certain age where they became interested in talking about only one thing: boys, girls and sex. Me though? I was only interested in comics."Growing up, Rebecca assumes sex is just a scary new thing they will 'grow into' as they get older, but when they leave school, start working and do grow up, they start to wonder why they don't want to have sex with other people.In this brave, hilarious and empowering graphic memoir, we follow Rebecca as they navigate a culture obsessed with sex - from being bullied at school and trying to fit in with friends, to forcing themselves into relationships and experiencing anxiety and OCD - before coming to understand and embrace their asexual identity.Giving unparalleled insight into asexuality and asexual relationships, How To Be Ace shows the importance of learning to be happy and proud of who you are.Trade ReviewInformative and heartfelt. Rebecca's journey gives voice to asexual experience, combined with feelings surrounding growing up which the majority can relate to. How to Be Ace strikes a fine balance between memoir and information. * Broken Frontier *I wish this book existed in my late teens. It would have made the next decade of my life so much easier to navigate. It's not preachy at all - just personal, relatable and supportive. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks they might be on the asexual spectrum. * Happily Ever Homebody *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow do we experience attraction?What does love mean to us?When did you realise you were ace?This is the ace community in their own words. Drawing upon interviews with a wide range of people across the asexual spectrum, Eris Young is here to take you on an empowering, enriching journey through the rich multitudes of asexual life. With chapters spanning everything from dating, relationships and sex, to mental and emotional health, family, community and joy, the inspirational stories and personal experiences within these pages speak to aces living and loving in unique ways. Find support amongst the diverse narratives of aces sex-repulsed and sex-favourable, alongside voices exploring what it means to be black and ace, to be queer and ace, or ace and multi-partnered - and use it as a springboard for your own ace growth. Do you see a story like your own?Trade Review'Ace Voices' is a superb introduction to all things asexual and aromantic. It's an absolute invaluable resource for a-spectrum people, for the people in our lives, and for anyone looking to reflect on the impact that restrictive cultural sex and relationship norms have on everyone.Eschewing outdated narratives of 'lack', and attending to intersections with race, gender, and disability, Young reframes ace and aro experiences as sources of joy and celebration and as leading to relationships and communities founded on mutual trust, open communication, and respect for boundaries - something we could all benefit hugely from. -- Meg-John Barker, author of How to Understand Your SexualityCapturing the highest of highs and lowest of lows, Ace Voices is a wonderfully realistic look at what it means to be aspec in a heteronormative world. -- Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca, hosts of the Sounds Fake But Okay podcast and authors of Sounds Fake But Okay: An Asexual and Aromantic Perspective on Love, Relationships, Sex, and Pretty Much Anything ElseYoung weaves together a wonderfully thorough exploration of the a-spec community, striking a balance between the academic and very personal. This balance makes this book both accessible to those looking to learn about asexuality, and those already within the community looking to further understand themselves. A very thoughtful and refreshing read that seamlessly breaks down the complexity of the a-spec community. -- Rebecca Burgess, author of How To Be AceTable of Contents1. Visibility 2. Who are we? 3. Microlabels 4. When language isn't enough 5. Coming (and being) out6. A-spec and the LGBTQ+ identity 7. Intersectionality 8. Friendships and family 9. What is love? 10. Sex11. The future of relationships 12. Joy

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Full of warmth, humour, optimism and sometimes painful honesty' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE'Anyone who's ever struggled to make sense of who they are and where they belong should read this book' NADIA WHITTOME MP'An important voice of our generation' PARMINDER NAGRA 'This guy has better Punjabi than both of us and he's only half Punjabi.' Only. Half. I stared at those words. The intent behind the comment was in no way malicious, but it hurt. I felt diminished. I felt like I was being robbed of something essential to me. And as I stared at my screen, realisation dawned. '#bothnothalf' I replied. For over twenty-five years, actor Jassa Ahluwalia described himself as 'half Indian, half English'. His fluent Punjabi always prompted bewilderment, medical staff questioned the legitimacy of his name, and the world of casting taught him he wasn't 'the right kind of mixed-race'. Feeling caught between two worlds, it wasn't long before Jassa embarked on a call to action: we need to change how we think and talk about mixed identity. By delving into the media we grew up consuming and the legacies of empire we have been taught, Ahluwalia asks: is there anything to be learnt from Rudyard Kipling? Why were movie stars urged to hide their mixed identities? To what extent did colonialism encourage or hinder mixed marriages? Is nationalism outdated? How can the politics of class and queer liberation inform our understanding of mixed identity? Both Not Half is a rallying cry for a new and inclusive future. It's a journey of self-discovery that unearths the historical roots of modern mixed identity as we know it, braving to deconstruct the binaries we have inherited and the narratives we passively accept. Part-memoir, part-manifesto: this is a campaign for belonging in a divided world.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat if we took sex out of the box marked 'special', either the worst or best thing that a human person can experience, and considered it within the complexity of reality? In this extraordinary book, despite longstanding tabloid-style sexual preoccupations with villains and victims, shame and virtue, JoAnn Wypijewski does exactly that.From the HIV crisis to the paedophile priest panic, Woody Allen to Brett Kavanaugh, child pornography to Abu Ghraib, Wypijewski takes the most famous sex panics of the last decades and turns them inside out, weaving what together becomes a searing indictment of modern sexual politics, exposing the myriad ways sex panics and the expansion of the punitive state are intertwined.What emerges is an examination of the multiple ways in which the ever-expanding default language of monsters and victims has contributed to the repressive power of the state. Politics exists in the mess of life. Sex does too, Wypijewski insists and so must sexual politics, to make any sense at all.Trade ReviewWhat We Don't Talk About When We Talk About #MeToo speaks for many women who resist (sometimes quietly) the peer pressure that has no name, and for women dismayed by the politics of belief infecting our secular conversations about sex. Injustice has become a sustainable resource, and JoAnn Wypijewski has been documenting its variations quite eloquently for 25 years. Her reporting is solid and energetic. Wypijewski knows how to unpack a monster. -- Tracy Quan, author of Diary of a Manhattan Call GirlJust causes, Wypijewski reminds us, have a bad habit of overreaching justice. Revisiting some of the most notorious sex abuse cases of recent times, she shows how little attention the media has given to actual facts and alternative interpretations. These incisive and controversial essays are a tour d'force by a brilliant journalist with unbounded empathy. -- Mike DavisJoAnn Wypijewski stimulates us to think freshly about sex and sexual politics, and she is not afraid to infuriate both those who consider themselves sexual progressives and traditional conservatives. Let's call a town meeting of the whole country to grapple with the insights, the fury, and most of all the wisdom in this essential book. -- Peter Davis, Academy Award winning filmmaker of Hearts and Minds, author of Girl of My DreamsWypijewski lays bare the twisted logics we employ to convince ourselves that there are easy distinctions between love, brutality, sex, and capitalism. Forceful and brilliant analysis, an unrelenting excavation not just of what happened and to whom, but what it means to all of us watching from the sidelines. Wypijewski, like few other writers, provides an archaelogy of sex which is in turn an archaelogy of power. -- Yasmin NairUncomfortable, powerful, and moving; few writers can give us the nitty-gritty of sex and its messiness within the grand sweep of history, and get both the big picture and the details exactly right. -- Jeffrey Escoffier, author of American Homo, Research Associate at the Brooklyn Institute for Social ResearchJoAnn Wypijewski has written steadily and courageously on topics that paralyze other reporters into silence or lukewarm compromise. She knows that our horror of crime springs from the same root as our need for scapegoats. Her essays are always perceptive, and always worth reading -- David Bromwich, author of American Breakdown: The Trump Years and How They Befell UsFrom Woody Allen to Matthew Shepherd to monster priests and Harvey Weinsteins, today's high sex scandals are media and courtroom myths of total innocence versus total guilt-larded with very real, globalized rage. They're postmodern passion plays whose buy-in, not just from patriarchs but also from feminists, has rendered these narratives chillingly sterile-and dead in their sterility. For years, JoAnn Wypijewski has been packing her bags and visiting the venues of civic libido behind the scandals. And then, with beautiful prose and complex analysis, she reports back to us the true messiness: of sex, life, late capitalism, fear, and yet the hope that still breathes in the mess. Her work is a national treasure. -- Debbie Nathan, journalist, co-author of Satan’s Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch HuntJoAnn Wypijewski is the finest and most fearless literary journalist writing today, and in these crucial and stunningly beautiful essays she brings into bracing focus the deepest politics of desire. No other writer is telling these stories; maybe no other writer could with such generosity of spirit. 'Mercy is the scandal now,' she writes of the the ways in which too many have come to prefer the counting of sins to the dream of liberation, but this is no book of lamentations. Through a series of moments intimately observed, Wypijewski summons us again to consider the possibilities for pleasure, eros as ally, in any struggle to get free. Hers is a prophetic voice. -- Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family and This Brilliant DarknessUnpicks the logic that allows us to convince ourselves that there are easy distinctions to be made between love and brutality. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWomen are in a bind. In the name of consent and empowerment, they must proclaim their desires clearly and confidently. Yet sex researchers suggest that women's desire is often slow to emerge. And men are keen to insist that they know what women-and their bodies-want. Meanwhile, sexual violence abounds. How can women, in this environment, possibly know what they want? And why do we expect them to?In this elegant, searching book-spanning science and popular culture; pornography and literature; debates on Me-Too, consent and feminism-Katherine Angel challenges our assumptions about women's desire. Why, she asks, should they be expected to know their desires? And how do we take sexual violence seriously, when not knowing what we want is key to both eroticism and personhood?In today's crucial moment of renewed attention to violence and power, Angel urges that we remake our thinking about sex, pleasure, and autonomy without any illusions about perfect self-knowledge. Only then will we fulfil Michel Foucault's teasing promise, in 1976, that 'tomorrow sex will be good again'Trade ReviewThe real joy lies in the artfulness with which she uses these intimate episodes as a way of unwrapping the larger issue of what it means to be a woman, both object and subject of desire. -- Olivia Laing * The Guardian * Unmastered is a smart rejoinder to the idea that pleasure has nothing to teach us. -- Parul Sehgal * Slate *Offers an arresting mix of diaristic experiences with her lover . . . and heady reflections from feminist thinkers like Susan Sontag and Virginia Woolf. A genre-busting nonfiction account that reads like poetry, revels in ambiguity, and intentionally defies definition, the book explores the slippery emotions of sex in fiery, collage-like scenes intended to reconcile the contradictory 'metaphors we love by.' * O Magazine *Ghostly and poetic . . . [A] thinking woman's meditation on sexual desire. * Publishers Weekly *Unconventional, deeply personal . . . often poetic. * The New Yorker *Angel embraces the impossibility of extricating fact from feeling. -- Julia Klein * The Boston Globe *One of the most insightful and articulate writers at work today. -- Lauren Elkin, author of Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and LondonIn this impressive and intelligent examination of the father figure, Angel expertly intersects the subject with feminism, mythology, Donald Winnicott, Brett Kavanaugh and more. Her unstinting eye and intellectual vigour make Daddy Issues an engaging interrogation. It feels utterly vital in the context of #MeToo and the political flux the world currently finds itself in. -- Sinead GleesonAn ardent, rigorous, nuanced investigation into the question of consent, at once illuminating and empowering. A truly vital guide to navigating the difficult waters of 21st century desire. -- Olivia Laing, author of Funny WeatherThought-provoking ... [Angel's] jargon-free prose and nuanced readings of popular culture and postmodern theory enlighten. Readers will value this lively and incisive inquiry into the sexual dynamics of the #MeToo era. * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) *One of our most daring, exciting and nuanced writers on the complexities of female desire, pleasure, autonomy and imagination. -- Deborah Levy, author of The Cost of LivingA provocative counterargument to recent feminist dogma. ... Angel raises intriguing questions about commonly accepted assumptions, and she offers reassurance to female readers. * Kirkus Reviews *[Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] takes a taboo topic and removes the stigma by providing facts. Its titular refrain advocates for a better tomorrow. -- Ashley Holstrom * Foreword Reviews *[Angel] writes about complex questions with such clarity and elegance, and amid all the polarised spats that currently pass for considered debate, her work is a breath of fresh air. [Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] is a provocative but clear-sighted analysis of female sexuality in the wake of #MeToo ... I'd urge anyone who cares about sexual ethics to read it. -- Bookseller (Editor's Choice) * Caroline Sanderson *Excellent -- Charlotte Higgins * Guardian *[A] bible of modern sexuality and consent that all men and women should be reading * Evening Standard *She is reaching towards something else: a world where desire does not have to be known and fixed in advance to protect people from violence. -- Hettie O'Brien * Guardian *Tenderly inflected and meticulously argued, Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again should be required reading * New Internationalist - Five Starred Review *A clear-eyed intervention in the crossfire of post-#MeToo sexual politics * TANK Magazine *Voyeuristically fascinating ... Angel dares to suggest that consent is not sexy . we should be aiming for something more complex -- Anna Leszkiewicz * New Statesman *Offers new ways of understanding the complexity of sexual relations . fresh and provoking * The F-Word *Exquisite ... A breathtaking, brilliant invitation not to turn away from complexity and vulnerability -- Hannah Dawson, editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist WritingThis nonfiction tour-de-force is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring themes of consent, power, sex, and the Me Too movement. This is the kind of book that seeks not to create dichotomous binaries, but to complicate the narrative. -- Rachel Krantz * The Millions *Eloquent and lucid -- Celia Walden * Telegraph *Succinct and thought-provoking -- Stephanie Merritt * Observer *Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again offers readers a blend of cultural criticism and provocative theory. -- Tobias Carroll * InsideHook *Intriguing, philosophical. -- Laura Miller * Slate *One of the smartest, most nuanced and thought-provoking books I've read about sex in the post-#MeToo era. -- Moya Crockett * Stylist *[Angel] is right - consent as a yes/no dichotomy cannot be everything we want it to be. We must recognise that language cannot say everything, especially for women, who have not historically been given the chance to shape it according to their own needs and desires. * The Arts Desk *[Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again is] a necessary contribution to the many conversations about sex and power we have all had since 2017, and Angel's prose, clear and lovely, nimbly navigates the complexities of her subject matter. -- Madeleine Watts * Bookforum *A vital and groundbreaking work that brings nuance to a thorny subject. -- Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett * Guardian *Angel has dissected much of what there is to know about consent, desire, arousal and vulnerability: the four cornerstones of sexuality. Resisting definitive and simplistic conclusions, Angel has been wide-reaching in her research -- Emily S Cooper * Irish Times *[Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] welcomes us to experience a twenty-first-century feminist version of Freud's aporia. -- Jeannie Suk Gersen * New Yorker *A necessary contribution to an important conversation. * The Week *A well-researched exploration of what sex, sexism, desire and power mean now. -- Mika Ross-Southall * Spectator *Angel makes the compelling argument that desire should not have to be known in advance in order to protect women from sexual violence and that consent is not static. -- Daisy Schofield * Huck *A breath of fresh air ... [Tomorrow Sex Will be Good Again] describes with great, sensitive accuracy the reality of being a woman with a sex life in the twenty-first century. -- Marianela D’Aprile * Jacobin *Timely . Angel does much more than merely refresh what has become a tired conversation about consent. . a slim, potent, elegantly argued polemic -- Zora Simic * Australian Book Review *Angel is measured and meticulous, which makes her book delightful, powerful, and worthwhile. -- Joseph Fischel * Signs *[Angel marshals] pithy arguments about consent, desire, arousal, and vulnerability, and these arguments are anchored by solid and hearty feminist claims. -- Shoniqua Roach * Signs *This work is misleadingly slender, more capacious than slight . [Angel] evokes the indeterminate radiance encountered in Georgia O'Keeffe's floral paintings, a space where the possibilities of sex reside as 'an unfolding'. -- Tali Lavi * Saturday Paper *Short but rich in ideas ... [Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again] offers a thoughtful, nuanced articulation of the problems and issues we face surrounding sexual assault and bad sex, without rushing to a solution. -- Elodie Rose Barnes * Lucy Writers' Platform *It should not be women's responsibility to keep sex safe. Angel argues powerfully that sexual ethics not be reduced to hard and fast prescriptions about consent -- Fiona Capp * Sydney Morning Herald *A much-needed intervention. -- Vicky Spratt * Refinery29 *One of the most important books you'll read all year. -- Jessie Thompson * Evening Standard *[Angel] argues for uncertainty and vulnerability ... Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again is part of an emancipatory project that, paradoxically, asserts a need not to be strong. -- Anne Enright * New York Review of Books *Gracefully argued and informed by flashes of brilliance ... a powerful contribution to the not always rational debate about consent and feminine sexual autonomy. * The Australian *Incisive and elegant ... in four searching essays that treat consent, desire, arousal, and vulnerability in turn, Angel does not reject legal and material remedies but looks beyond them, seeking succor in the interstices of our erotic relationships-in the sheer force and fact of desire itself. -- Becca Rothfeld * Boston Review *Exciting. -- Alexandra Schwartz * New Yorker *Angel is here to stick up for the timorous and to defend vulnerability as both a sexual virtue and a deep well of potential pleasure ... a rich companion piece to [Unmastered] -- Sarah Gilbert * Sydney Review of Books *Packs a punch -- Hannah Witton * More Hannah - Best 2021 Books *Brilliant -- Izabella Scott * White Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSex with animals is one of the last taboos but, for a practice that is generally regarded as abhorrent, it is remarkable how many books, films, plays, paintings, and photographs depict the subject. So, what does loving animals mean? In this book the renowned historian Joanna Bourke explores the modern history of sex between humans and animals. Bourke looks at the changing meanings of “bestiality” and “zoophilia,” assesses the psychiatric and sexual aspects, and she concludes by delineating an ethics of animal loving.Trade Review"Bourke believes society should take a more nuanced approach to the matter. In her new book, Loving Animals, she points out that studies suggesting a link between bestiality and psychosis should be treated with caution due to sampling bias, because they were conducted on people already within the penal system, rather than a cross-section of the population. The sexually frustrated young farm-hand who interferes with one of his mares shouldn’t necessarily occupy the same taxonomic box as the bona fide sex pest; his indiscretion is, in the words of the psychiatrist Philip Q. Roche, an 'adaptive expedient of bucolic loneliness'—a matter of circumstance rather than proclivity; contingent rather than pathological." -- Houman Barekat * Times Literary Supplement *"In this courageous book, Bourke combines scholarship and clear prose to tackle head-on one of our most stigmatized taboos—sexual relations between humans and nonhumans. In doing so, she provides an illuminating perspective on a subject too often swept under the rug. Even if so-called zoophilia were a rare aberration, it ought to be addressed. That it is far more widespread than commonly believed justifies the need for thorough, contemporary examination." -- Jonathan Balcombe, author of "What a Fish Knows" and "Super Fly"“This bold and imaginative book is thoughtful and—inevitably—provocative. With characteristic compassion and insight, Bourke undertakes a tour de force of historical and cultural attitudes towards human-animal relations to guide us through serious ethical and political questions concerning sexuality, power, and consent.” -- Julie-Marie Strange, Durham University"Bourke’s post-anthropocentric approach to human–animal love and lust is a remarkable and much-needed contribution to both queer studies and animal studies. She offers a critical and thorough analysis of the joys, hopes, and dangers of intimacy with the most vulnerable of all lovers—animals." -- Monika Bakke, Philosophy Department, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan (Poland)

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe medieval humoral system of medicine suggested that it was possible to die from having too much – or too little – sex, while the Roman Catholic Church taught that virginity was the ideal state. Holy men and women committed themselves to lifelong abstinence in the name of religion. Everyone was forced to conform to restrictive rules about whom they could have sex with, in what way, how often, and even when, and could be harshly punished for getting it wrong. Other experiences are more familiar. Like us, medieval people faced challenges in finding a suitable partner or trying to get pregnant (or trying not to). They also struggled with many of the same social issues, such as whether prostitution should be legalized. Above all, they shared our fondness for dirty jokes and erotic images. By exploring their sex lives, the book brings ordinary medieval people to life, and reveals details of their most personal thoughts and experiences. Ultimately, it provides us with an important and intimate connection to the past.Trade Review'The story of Simon the goat-lover is just one of hundreds of weird and wonderful anecdotes that rub together in Katherine Harvey's jaunty study of late-medieval sex . . . Her book is an enjoyable romp, smart as well as funny. It left me fully satisfied, with a big smile on my face.' - Dan Jones, Sunday Times; 'When does sex become rumpy-pumpy? . . . By the Middle Ages sex is indisputably odd. Reading Katherine Harvey's The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages, I found myself thinking: weird, weirder and, occasionally, whoa! This is an eye-watering, jaw-dropping, blush-raising book. Harvey, a medieval historian and honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, has peeped through the keyhole of the past and caught the Middle Ages in flagrante. The tone is spot-on: curious but not prurient; correct yet amused.' - Laura Freeman, The Times; 'an expansive, accessible and highly engaging account of what we do - and don't - know about western European sexual culture in the Middle Ages. The book offers multiple insights into the realities of medieval sex.' - BBC History Magazine; 'I can't think of more brilliant Christmas book to give to one's significant other if they have even a passing interest in medieval Europe or the rich and extraordinary sex life of its inhabitants.' - Erotic Review; 'This lively, engaging study combines a scholarly rigour with a sharp eye for telling detail, told in a fluid style that keeps the pages turning. A culture in which clerics commissioned sheelagh-na-gigs - graphic carvings of women displaying their genitals - to adorn their holy buildings perplex us. Harvey takes great care to explain this complicated culture.' - The Irish Times; '[an] irresistibly eccentric cultural history . . . Impeccably researched and impossibly entertaining, The Fires of Lust is a work that transcends its scholarly purpose . . .' - The Australian; 'An illuminating exploration of the surprisingly familiar sex lives of ordinary medieval people . . . By exploring their sex lives, the book brings ordinary medieval people to life, revealing details of their most personal thoughts and experiences. Ultimately, it provides us with an important and intimate connection to the past.' - New Books Network; 'A lively and readable account rooted in a deep knowledge of the scholarly literature on sexuality in medieval western Europe. Harvey's specialism in the history of medicine provides particular depth, and is integrated with legal and cultural material to create a sparkling and convincing whole.' - Ruth Mazo Karras; 'Masterful. There is no better guide to what occurs betwixt the sheets of the medieval bedroom than Katherine Harvey. The Fires of Lust - an absolute triumph.' - Kate Lister, author of A Curious History of Sex and Harlots, Whores & Hackabouts; 'With unabashed directness, a delicate touch of wit, and constant humanity, Katherine Harvey surveys the world of medieval sex and sexuality. Throughout The Fires of Lust she situates the twin themes of morality and medicine in the social and material world that medieval people inhabited. What those people thought, felt, feared and hoped for all play a part, alongside the pronouncements of theologians, lawmakers and intellectuals. Here, in its messy complexity, is medieval life - life laid bare, but always with respect and care. A triumph.' - John H. Arnold, Professor of Medieval History, University of Cambridge, author of Belief and Unbelief in Medieval Europe; 'Learned, fun, and full of surprises - a fascinating, wide-ranging guide to medieval sexual attitudes and experiences.' - Fara Dabhoiwala, author of The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution

Read more less

Book Synopsis'With their fascinating synthesis of two fields of study, leadership and sexuality, editors James Beggan and Scott Allison provide a forum for scholars to investigate two concepts that have long shaped human behavior and captured both academic interest and the curiosity of the general public. In addition to its appeal to academics, this cross-disciplinary book will interest anyone who has ever had a boss, been on a date, or contemplated an office romance.' -Robert Giacalone, John Carroll University, US Although both leadership and sexuality are important and heavily researched topics, there is little work that addresses the interaction of the two areas. Leadership and Sexuality: Power, Principles, and Processes is a scholarly synthesis of leadership principles with issues related to sexuality and sexual policy-making. The authors' multi-disciplinary analysis of the topic examines sexuality in the context of many different kinds of leadership, exploring both the good and the bad aspects of leadership and sexuality. These integrated topics are examined through three broad areas of study. The first involves individuals who become leaders in sexual domains by advancing new views of human sexuality. The second involves problems that leaders of businesses and other institutions must address as a result of issues related to human sexuality, including sexual harassment and sexually-based discrimination in the workplace. The third area involves understanding how being a leader influences sexual desire and sexual attraction, and may impact the course of workplace romance and the expression of sexuality. Written to be accessible to both laypeople and scholars, this book will appeal to academics and scientists interested in human sexuality as well as many related disciplines, including psychology, sociology, leadership studies, heroism science, political science, religion, and economics. Contributors: S.T. Allison, J.K. Beggan, L. Dwight, O. Efthimiou, J. Fyke, S. Huss, K. Lucas, S. Pichler, C. Pitzulo, C. Shakeshaft, W.R. Stayton, M.B. Stone, B. Trisler, E. Turley Trade Review'The chapters in this excellent edited volume illuminate what is often overlooked: leadership's sexual side. From the leaders of the sexual change and transformation movements, to those who inflict their heternormative biases on others, to the inappropriate, immoral, and illegal sexual missteps of so many leaders, there is much to be gained by examining, explicitly, the sexuality of leadership. Leaders and leadership are fascinating topics, but add a dash of sex, and they become all the more intriguing.' --Donelson R. Forsyth, University of Richmond, US'The interplay between sexuality and leadership is a provocative topic that people tend to give a wide berth to, like a gorilla in a room. Not surprisingly, Jim and Scott climb on the gorilla, and bring along some collaborators to show us what can happen when leaders shy away from confronting sexuality-based issues within the group, or misinterpret the sexual intent of a behavior, and draws on real-world events many of us would like to forget. Far from sensational, this volume gives us the opportunity to move past the skittishness and finally address sexuality as an influence on social behavior.' --Craig Parks, Washington State University, US'Beggan and Allison's edited book fills the void created by the neglect of scholarship on the links between sexuality and leadership. In this collection of chapters written by social scientists from several fields, authors explore multiple ways in which leadership and sexuality can be related, including, for example, some leaders' sexual abuse of others and the sexuality implications of social dancing. I can't think of an edited book on leadership with a more fascinating and unusual set of chapters.' --Alice Eagly, Northwestern University, USTable of ContentsContents: Introduction Sexuality in Leadership: A Long-neglected topic with vast implications for individuals and society James K. Beggan and Scott T. Allison Part I Sexual Leaders 1. Playboy, Icon, Leader: Hugh Hefner and Postwar American Sexual Culture Carrie Pitzulo 2. Planned Parenthood: 100 Years of Leadership and Controversy Sheila Huss and Lucy Dwight 3. Leadership and the Free the Nipple Movement: An Autoethnographic Case Study James K. Beggan Part II Leadership and Sexuality 4. A Failure of Courageous Leadership: Sex, Embarrassment, and (Not) Speaking Up in the Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal Jeremy Fyke, Bree Trisler and Kristen Lucas 5. Because They Can: Adult to Student Sexual Abuse in PreK-12 Schools Charol Shakeshaft 6. Heterosexism in Organizations: The Importance of Transformational and Heroic Leadership Shaun Pichler 7. Leadership in Strip Clubs Maggie B. Stone 8. Training Religious Leaders in Sexually Related Issues William R. Stayton Part III The Sexuality of Leaders 9. “Stupid is as Stupid Does” or Good Bayesian? A Sympathetic and Contrarian Analysis of Bill Clinton’s Decision to Have an Affair with Monica Lewinsky James K. Beggan 10. Leading and Following? Understanding the Power Dynamics in Consensual BDSM Emma Turley 11. Does the “Zipless Dance” Exist? Leadership, Followership, and Sexuality in Social Dancing James K. Beggan and Scott T. Allison 12. Heroic Leadership in The Walking Dead’s Postapocalyptic Universe: The Restoration and Regeneration of Society as a Hero Organism Scott T. Allison and Olivia Efthimiou Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis''BOOK EVERY YOUNG WOMAN SHOULD READ'' Daily Mail''BOLD AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING'' GlamourAs heard on BBC Radio 4''s Woman''s HourA Stylist pick of the best non-fiction for 2024A Cosmopolitan and Glamour best new book for April 2024TEN MEN, MANY STORIES.At the beginning of the year, Kitty Ruskin decided it was time to embrace her sexuality, taking advantage of all the joys that being young, free and single bring and having fun, easy, no-strings sex with whomsoever she desired.She got on the apps and started swiping. What followed was sometimes sexy, frequently funny, occasionally shocking and, sadly, all too often fraught with pain and danger. It was not the carefree adventure she had envisaged; it was something altogether darker.Ten Men is one woman''s tale told with searing honesty. It''s an exploration of the ''blurred lines'' that even seemingly nice guys can exploit, a meditation on the lack of clarity around consent and a call to arms to combat a culture that seems to thrive on women''s vulnerability.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCamilla Grudova lives in Edinburgh. Her fiction has appeared in The White Review and Granta. She is the critically-acclaimed author of The Doll's Alphabet (2017) and Children of Paradise (2022).

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat are the motivations and desires behind relationship choices and sexual behaviour? Are they very different for those with Asperger Syndrome (AS) than for anyone else? Does having extreme sensitivity to physical touch or an above average need for solitude change one's expectation of relationships or sexual experience?Many people on the autism spectrum have limited knowledge of how to establish or conduct sexual relationships: drawing on extensive research with people on the autism spectrum, the book openly explores such questions. For the first time people with AS discuss their desires, needs and preferences in their own words. AS attitudes to issues such as gender, sexual identity and infidelity are included, as well as positive advice for developing relationships and exploring options and choices for sexual pleasure.This accessible book is an invaluable source of information and support for those with Asperger Syndrome and couples in which one or both partners has Asperger Syndrome, as well as counsellors and health and social care professionals.Trade Review... this book takes on an important, previously unexplored topic... The subjects, whose thoughts and advice she here shares, are frank and do not sugarcoat the difficulties that can arise in these relationships. -- Library JournalThe great joy of this book is that it is based almost entirely on the contributions of people with AS and their partners... I consider this book to be both accessible and hugely inspiring. -- GAPThere is a long history of specialty self-help books regarding love and relationships for adults; however, few books target adults with Asperger Syndrome as the intended audience. Sarah Hendrickx's book, Love, Sex & Long-Term Relationships: What People with Asperger Syndrome Really Really Want, is a welcome addition to this collection of literature. Written primarily as an instructional guide for adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and their partners, this book offers a direct and focused discussion about dating, relationships, love and intimacy, and sexual behaviors... this book is recommended for adults with AS and their partners. It provides a concise yet fairly comprehensive set of topics regarding relationships, love and sex and offers a common language for individuals to begin thinking and communicating about with their partners... this book offers clear strategies for overcoming potential barriers to successful relationships that can be utilized by motivated individuals with AS and their partners. -- Journal of Autism and Developmental DisordersMany People on the autism spectrum have limited knowledge of how to establish or conduct sexual relationships: drawing on extensive research with people on the autism spectrum, the book openly explores such questions. For the first time people with AS discuss their desires, needs and preferences in their own words. AS attitudes to issues such as gender, sexual identity and infidelity are included, as well as positive advice for developing relationships and exploring options and choices for sexual pleasure. This accessible book is an invaluable source of information and support for those with Asperger Syndrome and couples in which one or both partners has Asperger Syndrome, as well as counsellors and health and social care professionals. -- Autism USA really good read. As a mother of an eighteen year old youth with Asperger syndrome, I was totally able to see where the author was coming from. Very informative and a useful guide for any Aspie Adolescent. -- Asperger East AngliaSex is not often openly talked about, even less so when in relation to autistic spectrum disorder. This book is accessible, informative for psychologists and serves as a self-help guide for people on the autistic spectrum and their partners. The text addresses the issues often faced while in, or searching for, a committed sexual relationship. It gives clear and tangible advice about ways to improve communication in this context...The frankness of this book is refreshing. Self-help books examining neuro-typical sex would benefit from taking such a straightforward, uninhibited approach. -- The PsychologistTable of ContentsForeword. 1. Introduction. 2. Finding a Partner. 3. Love and Intimacy. 4. Sensory Perception and Solitude. 5. Me? Us? No one? - Options and Choices for Sexual Pleasure. 6. Statistics of Sex. 7. Asperger Syndrome between the Sheets. 8. Gender Identity and Sexuality. 9. Infidelity and Inappropriate Behaviour. 10. Great Sex! 11. Conclusion. References. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvides information on relevant research studies, key debates, and on operational and procedural mattersIncludes reflective material for practitioners working in the field An edited collection which academic staff can adopt for core or specialist modules which focus on prison management, prison officer training, and the occupational cultures of prison staff.Table of Contents1. Introduction Part 1: Prisons and Staff Issues 2. Personal reflections on prison staff 3. Prison staff: an international perspective 4. The experiences of black and minority ethnic prison staff 5. Prison officers and gender 6. Prison staff in the public and private sector Part 2: Prison Officers 7. Industrial relations in prisons 8. Understanding prison officers: culture, cohesion and conflict 9. Staff and order in prisons 10. Creating ghosts in the penal machine: prison officer occupational morality and the techniques of denial 11. 'An inconvenient criminological truth': pain, punishment and prison officers Part 3: Prison Managers 12. Prison governors: new public managers? 13. Change management in prisons 14. 'Resisting the scourge of managerialism': on the uses of discretion in late-modern prisons 15. The role of middle and first-line managers Part 4: Prison Staff 16. The changing face of probation in prisons 17. Teachers and instructors in prisons 18. Psychologists in prisons 19. The prison drug worker 20. Health professionals in prisons Part 5: Developing the Human Resources of Prisons 21. Recruitment and assessment of prison staff 22. Training and developing prison staff 23. The experience of prison officer training Part 6: Conclusion 24. Concluding comments on the social world of prison staff

Read more less

Book SynopsisWritten during the Tang dynasty, this unusual tantric guide documents a sexual tantra that is thought to have been practiced by kings for several dynasties, before losing favor to a more ascetic approach to Taoism. According to legend, the author was last seen on the edge of a precipice, clasping the book to his chest, and proclaiming the sincerity of his practice.Translated into English for the first time, this illuminating text carefully describes the methods of this sexual internal alchemy practice, pursued strictly for the spiritual advancement of the practitioner, and undertaken only once desire and attachment for a consort had been overcome. Cloaked in metaphor, the techniques and attendant virtues of the practice are presented in beautiful poetry and prose, with explanatory commentaries throughout.This is an important historical text that will provide a fascinating insight into ancient tantric practices for anyone with an interest in Taoism, Chinese history and philosophy, and tantra or meditation practices.Table of ContentsTranslator's Note. Introduction. Preface. Part I. Preparation of the Mind. Cultivating the Chi Through Sole Breathing. Accumulating Chi to Open the Gate. Cultivating the Body's Essence with Jade Fluid. Part II. Preparing the Practice. Assembling Wealth to Cultivate the Practice. Selecting the Place for Practice. Selecting Companions. Building the Chambers for Practice. Choosing Consorts. Testing the Quality of the Consort. Choosing the Gold Consort. Choosing the Fire Consort. Choosing the Water Consort. Cultivating the Body's Essence and Building the Foundation. Building up Chi to Enter the Pass. Extending the Lifespan with Jade Liquid. Using Gold Water to Forge the Sword. Recovering the Golden Elixir. Selecting the Time for Heaven Circulation. Part III. The Secrets of Collecting Truth. Beginning Practice. Building the Foundation. Collecting the Medicine. Knowing the Time. Strumming the Lute. Facing your Enemy. Upside Down. In All Sincerity. Water Wheel. The Gateway of Belief. Following or Reversing. Part IV. The Way of Gathering Truth. Advanced Practice. Seventeen Poems of the True Secret.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTo help the world overcome its diffidence towards solo sex, Mels van Driel has written With the Hand. Van Driel covers a great number of topics, from the physical, to the mythical, to the mythological, to the artistic, in order to explore masturbation in all its astonishing variety.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautiful, intimate exploration of female sexuality and the female body.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA jaw-dropping re-evaluation of everything we thought we knew about men, women, and sex. Men are biologically programmed to want sex with lots of different women, whereas women are designed to stay true to one person, right? Wrong. In Untrue, New York Times -bestselling author Wednesday Martin reveals that we are just at the beginning of understanding women’s sexuality properly. From New York to Namibia to a conference of sex researchers in Montreal, she takes us on a journey to understand women who refuse monogamy, posing questions about why we became sexually exclusive in the first place. Martin attends all-female sex parties where married straight women fulfill their fantasies; considers contemporary societies where women take many lovers; analyses how the invention of the plough suppressed female autonomy; and presents fascinating research about why women stray (their motivations are not so different from men’s). Frank and myth busting, Untrue validates the desires of women everywhere, including the ‘silent majority’ in committed relationships who struggle with staying faithful.Trade Review‘Great fun … Martin is a lively, witty and engaging writer … She moves seamlessly between suburban housewives, “rock star” academics, macaque monkeys, and indigenous tribes. Her narrative is studded with surprises and even some cliffhangers … Fascinating’ -- Christina Patterson * The Sunday Times *‘The popular myth is that “men stray while women stay”, but New York social researcher Wednesday Martin sets out to expose that myopic Western view … This is a fascinating and surprising book.’ FOUR STARS -- Rosie Wilby * The Mail on Sunday *‘A provocative exploration of our biases about promiscuous women, with some psychology, primatology and lit-crit thrown in.’ -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * Evening Standard *‘[Martin] presents compelling food for thought on the very structures upon which our sexual identities are built, and the resistance from science itself that women, at their sexual core, may be more about rollicking adventure than romance and scented candles.’ -- Suzanne Harrington * Irish Examiner *‘Dr Mar­tin sug­gests that if you’re strug­gling with dis­sat­is­fac­tion in your re­la­tion­ship, you should com­mu­ni­cate that to your part­ner and ex­plore other op­tions, such as a con­sen­sual re­la­tion­ship with some­one out­side the re­la­tion­ship … If we’re open, hon­est and able to com­mu­ni­cate ef­fec­tively, non-monogamy is­n’t all that rad­i­cal.’ -- Georgia Aspinall * Grazia *‘Scientifically literate and sexually cliterate … an exuberant unfettering of female sexuality that challenges us to ‘think outside her box.’ Viva la Vulva!’ -- Ian Kerner, sex therapist and author of She Comes First‘If you have ever felt different, other, or just weird when it comes to love, sex, or intimacy, read Untrue. Wednesday Martin bulldozes the sexual stereotypes that have silenced women for eons. By bringing the voices of women who love in a range of ways to the surface, she shows us all that it's not us and our desires that are abnormal: it is a system that has constrained and shamed women. I love this book.’ -- Rachel Simmons, co-founder of Girls Leadership and author of Odd Girl Out‘Wednesday Martin understands female sexuality -- from the #MeToo movement and polyamory to women's prehistoric and cultural heritage. She goes far beyond our current psychological understanding of women's infidelity to tell the real story of women's ubiquitous, tenacious, and primordial sexual strategies. And her writing is not only informative, timely, and refreshing but wonderfully engaging. Brava, Wednesday.’ -- Helen Fisher, author of The First Sex and Why We Love‘For centuries, men have been telling the story of female sexuality. Unsurprisingly, it was was riddled with condescension, bias, and sheer ignorance. With Untrue, Wednesday Martin sets the record straight, shining a light on some of the female researchers reshaping our understanding of what turns women on, and why. This is an important story, beautifully told. Highly recommended.’ -- Christopher Ryan, co-author of Sex at Dawn‘A simultaneously frothy and substantive tour of female sexual desire … An indispensable work of popular psychology and sociology.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *‘Wednesday Martin deconstructs many of the false beliefs that have negatively affected the way women's sexuality is viewed … This book turns everything we think we know about women and sex completely on its head, essentially undressing the falsehoods of female sexuality to reveal what lies beneath the layers of distortion women operate under.’ -- Kerri Jarema * Bustle *‘Chapters cover topics like infidelity, open marriage, polyamory, and even cuckolding to show that women are not the demure, sex-hating bearers of morality that history and long-standing research (by men) would lead us to believe. -- Kathy Sexton * Booklist *‘Riveting.’ -- Stephen A Russell * The New Daily *‘Wednesday Martin has torn up the old established manual about how the world believes women view sex and revealed what’s really going on … With this book, a new sexual dawn is breaking.’ * Weekend Sport *‘At times playful, the narrative teems with fascinating commentary about everything from bonobos and paleolithic gender roles to Craigslist ads, as Martin examines how female sexuality continues to be shaped and stigmatised by artificial social constructions, sociopolitical values, and economics, all under the guise of ‘natural’ female biology and desire. A timely take on femininity and sexuality.’ STARRED REVIEW -- Emily Bowles * Library Journal *[An] eminently readable treatise on the lies society has been fed about female sexuality, agency, and infidelity. With each chapter, Martin builds a case for the primacy of female infidelity and for a societal reckoning with that truth. Step by step, she shows that she's thought deeply about her subject, and that all of these seemingly disparate intellectual threads are related and worthy of having been braided together. The sui generis quality of Untrue is the author's forte. -- Deb Copaken * The Atlantic *‘Combining Barbara Ehrenreich’s immersive reporting style and Carrie Bradshaw’s savoir faire, [Wednesday Martin] dispels many myths about female desire.’ * O, The Oprah Magazine *Insights gleaned during her anthropological deep-dive, gave Martin newfound appreciation for statistics indicating that women cheat about as often as men do. -- Nell Beram * Shelf Awareness *

Read more less

Book SynopsisElectric Dreams picks apart the forces that posit sex robots as either the solution to our problems or a real threat to human safety, and looks at what's being pushed aside for us to obsess about something that will never happen.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen a society marginalises a people, their humanity is revolutionary - in all its hunger and joy. Although long demonised, hedonism in all its forms has played a central role in how queer people sought to organise as a symbiotic system. In fact, when viewed through a queer lens, hedonism undergoes a process of transformation and embodies the power for change, as described by Audre Lorde in The Uses of the Erotic. Today, when the queer community worldwide faces rampant transphobia, rising hate crime, and unequal access to support services - all in the context of humanitarian crises, a climate crisis, and a destabilised political landscape - such hedonism is no less necessary or, indeed, present. As we face ongoing and new challenges to creating a more fair world, let us borrow from the Ancient Greeks' understanding of love's multiplicity to explore queer hedonism not as a momentary phenomenon, but rather a transformational route through which we can learn from our past, connect in the present, and look towards the future with hope - together.

Read more less