jessicaz's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't think this book was going to have much to teach me, and it didn't, but I did learn that masturbation is sometimes referred to as "pillow- or bed-humping" so I look forward to using that phrase to mortify my future hypothetical children during our frank sex talks.
This book was decent - my meh rating is mostly for my 1)distrust of celebrity authors and 2) my confusion about the audience for this book. The tone was very earnest in a way that cynical teenager me would have found offensive, and it some parts it was like "this is how you pronounce ejaculation" and then it was like "Just remember, many other high schoolers like you haven't had sex" (these are not actual quotes - I returned my copy to the library right away because 26 (!!!) people were waiting for it). I suppose it wasn't meant to be read like a novel. And that I am taking my kind of okay sex ed in school for granted (we at least learned about ejaculation).
Anyway, it covered a lot of ground, and not just the mechanics of sex, but also the anguish of teenager-hood, which I appreciated.
This book was decent - my meh rating is mostly for my 1)distrust of celebrity authors and 2) my confusion about the audience for this book. The tone was very earnest in a way that cynical teenager me would have found offensive, and it some parts it was like "this is how you pronounce ejaculation" and then it was like "Just remember, many other high schoolers like you haven't had sex" (these are not actual quotes - I returned my copy to the library right away because 26 (!!!) people were waiting for it). I suppose it wasn't meant to be read like a novel. And that I am taking my kind of okay sex ed in school for granted (we at least learned about ejaculation).
Anyway, it covered a lot of ground, and not just the mechanics of sex, but also the anguish of teenager-hood, which I appreciated.
ajanik's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this after hearing Cheryl Strayed say on the Dear Sugar podcast that she'd given it to her son, but wanted to pre-read it before giving it to my own son, to make sure I thought the info was relevant/useful/not a complete repeat of discussions we've already had.
As someone who grew up with pretty much zero information about sex and sexuality, in a house where 'sex' was considered a bad word, this book was a bit of a revelation for me. Granted, I now know almost all of the information in it, I found myself very moved by the honest, open, non-judgmental and warm presentation of facts. I wish - WISH - I'd had something like this as a young teen, it would have saved so many years of figuring things out the hard way, not knowing that I could say 'no', and generally not understanding the value of my body and heart. I highly recommend to parents of teens, regardless of how open you already are, because there's almost always a question they don't want to ask their parent. This book fills in the blanks.
As someone who grew up with pretty much zero information about sex and sexuality, in a house where 'sex' was considered a bad word, this book was a bit of a revelation for me. Granted, I now know almost all of the information in it, I found myself very moved by the honest, open, non-judgmental and warm presentation of facts. I wish - WISH - I'd had something like this as a young teen, it would have saved so many years of figuring things out the hard way, not knowing that I could say 'no', and generally not understanding the value of my body and heart. I highly recommend to parents of teens, regardless of how open you already are, because there's almost always a question they don't want to ask their parent. This book fills in the blanks.
stptacek's review against another edition
5.0
Recommended by a dear friend and gifted to my two teens this Christmas. Wish I'd had it as a teenager. I hope it provides a springboard for more discussions with my kiddos. Frank, accurate, inclusive information. Love this book.
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