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nastian's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure if I'd give it a 3.5 rather than 4 just because of the conclusion.
So the reason I'd give it a 4 is because although it was incredibly interesting I had a hard time ignoring the cringey wordplay that mercifully went down a notch later on in the book.
I'm really glad that the difference in white western perception of sexuality was acknowledged.
Definitely worth a read, but here's why I'd knock off another half a point.
It really could have done without the weird examples of opposites at the end: "for every pansexual polyamorous person there's a heterosexual monogamous person that thinks gay people shouldn't exist, ..., something something vs a guy who is annoyed he can't harass women, sexually open person vs asexual person who doesn't understand what the fuss is all about" ( I somewhat paraphrased as I can't remember the exact wording but these were the pairings!)
Kinda left a sour taste even though the whole book was excellent until this conclusion bit. Kinda weird to put the onus of the "good guys" on poly non-straight sexually liberated people as opposed to monogamous asexuals who are placed together with a sexual offender.
Obviously being a predator and homophobe is problematic, compulsory heterosexuality and monogamy are a thing, but they're not the same thing! Why are heterosexuality, monogamy, asexuality painted as the opposite of progress? I say this as a queer non-monogamous person. I hope in future reprints (and it's definitely worth a reprint) this bit is looked into. Maybe even worth doing a chapter on asexuality as well.
So the reason I'd give it a 4 is because although it was incredibly interesting I had a hard time ignoring the cringey wordplay that mercifully went down a notch later on in the book.
I'm really glad that the difference in white western perception of sexuality was acknowledged.
Definitely worth a read, but here's why I'd knock off another half a point.
It really could have done without the weird examples of opposites at the end: "for every pansexual polyamorous person there's a heterosexual monogamous person that thinks gay people shouldn't exist, ..., something something vs a guy who is annoyed he can't harass women, sexually open person vs asexual person who doesn't understand what the fuss is all about" ( I somewhat paraphrased as I can't remember the exact wording but these were the pairings!)
Kinda left a sour taste even though the whole book was excellent until this conclusion bit. Kinda weird to put the onus of the "good guys" on poly non-straight sexually liberated people as opposed to monogamous asexuals who are placed together with a sexual offender.
Obviously being a predator and homophobe is problematic, compulsory heterosexuality and monogamy are a thing, but they're not the same thing! Why are heterosexuality, monogamy, asexuality painted as the opposite of progress? I say this as a queer non-monogamous person. I hope in future reprints (and it's definitely worth a reprint) this bit is looked into. Maybe even worth doing a chapter on asexuality as well.
katiescho741's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of fun and very informative! I enjoyed that Lister used various words that have been coined throughout history to describe body parts, liquids, actions, along with the date the word arrived in the language (I had no idea "Bollocks was over 1000 years old!). My favourite phrase was Pudding Bag.
I loved that she included pictures throughout the text, as it's a very visual subject, and there is plenty in here that challenges what we think we know.
This was the perfect tone for a book on sex, and I had a lot of fun reading it.
I loved that she included pictures throughout the text, as it's a very visual subject, and there is plenty in here that challenges what we think we know.
This was the perfect tone for a book on sex, and I had a lot of fun reading it.
nikorico's review against another edition
5.0
Clever, informative, and just the right amount of cheeky, this book is a truly wonderful read. Kate lister's excellent authorial voice carries you through some potentially fraught topics with grace, empathy, and humor.