The Hite Report: A National Study of Female Sexuality (Paperback)

by Shere Hite (Author)
Key Phrases: Sexual Honesty, New York, Helen Kaplan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Hite Report, originally published in 1976, was a sexual revolution in six hundred pages. Three thousand women, ages fourteen to seventy-eight, were surveyed on their most intimate feelings about sex: what they do and don't like; how orgasm really feels, with and without intercourse; how it feels not to have an orgasm during sex; the importance of clitoral stimulation and masturbation; and, the greatest pleasures and frustrations of their sexual lives. The Hite Report declares that orgasm is easy and strong for women, given the right stimulation; that most women have orgasm most easily during masturbation or clitoral stimulation by hand; that sex as we define it is a cultural institution, not a biological one, and that attitudes must change to include the stimulation women desire. The Hite Report, which has been published in seventeen languages, was selected in 1998 as one of the one hundred key books of the twentieth century by the London Times and the World Expo.

Product Description
Featuring a new foreword by the author, this is the classic feminist analysis of sex that galvanized a cultural revolution. Originally published in 1976, The Hite Report revealed the most intimate sexual feelings of 3,000 women: what they like and don't like; how orgasm really feels, with and without intercourse; how it feels to not have an orgasm during sex; the importance of clitoral stimulation and masturbation; and the greatest pleasures and frustrations of their sexual lives. The most shocking revelation was that orgasm is simply and easily achieved with the right stimulation, and that sex is a cultural institution - not just a biological one. Hite explains in her introduction that while society has in theory made great strides with regard to female sexuality since the book's first edition, the dissatisfactions with their sex lives some women voice today are reminiscent of the issues raised in the 1970s..

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583225692
• ISBN-13: 978-1583225691
• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 0.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #118,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars glad to have read this as an adolescent boy, April 24, 2005

By	another reader "John" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

"The Hite Report" (on female sexuality) is a seminal and indispensible text. It is by turn shocking, inspiring, disturbing, titillating, and sometimes boring, but always informative. What you get is practically PURE information, but of a sort rarely found elsewhere -- if sex weren't sex, the report would be a bone-dry academic snoozefest. Along with a bit of methodology and comment, the book's content is simply collected testimonies of American womens' subjective experiences of their sexuality. The reader is left to draw his or her own conclusions. As a study it assumes no strong thesis (unlike some of Hite's later work), therefore as a critic one can't say much more about it. That said, although the good people at Amazon insist we reviewers focus on the "product," I have something to add about my experience of the "product" that may be of more interest.

Back in the late 70's, my mother, in uncharacteristic daring and playfulness, shelved an early edition of the "The Hite Report" next to her cookbooks on the kitchen bookshelf and left it there. Years later, around the age of 13, her son (me) noticed this book was not like the other ones. Needless to say, after reading just a bit standing there in the kitchen, the son absconded with it to his room and read the whole thing. And reread. Many times. It was years before it got replaced next to "Larouse Gastronomique. " To this day, it lives there, and I've never asked Mom if she ever noticed its leave of absence.

My primary purpose at the time was titillation, but underneath my arousal was a sense of wonder and curiousity. Feminine sexuality was demystified for me even as my awe grew. Looking back, I see how I formed the basis of a deeply respectful understanding of the power of ALL sexuality. I accepted how taboos, shame, etc. might form around sex, but that sex in and of itself was not just neutral, but beautiful and precious. I authentically experienced what many (I believe) can only offer as a platitude or abstraction.

I could go on about what good I think "The Hite Report" did for me, but more important to me now is that it helped me become both a good lover and a good friend. As a young adult, having been taught to think I was "just a guy," I was repeatedly surprised to find myself being more insightful, accepting and compassionate about the twists and turns of many of my female companion's sexuality than they, their girlfriends, their mothers, or even their therapists could be. I don't say this to brag, but as a heartfelt testimonial to the educational and maturational value of having read this book during the right formative years. I was fortunate. In fact, I paused to write this review while shopping for a copy for a friend whom I wish could have read it 15 years ago.

Everybody, regardless of gender or background, should be availed of "The Hite Report" at the apporpriate age by the approriate person (and perhaps the report on male sexuality too). The only drawback to this report is its age; while it is incorrect to call it outdated, mores and customs do change, and a study like this should be repeated at least once a generation.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be a mandatory read for ALL hetrosexual men! ;-), April 5, 2005

By	Melissa Ann Hutcheson "MsMissa" (Northern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book when it first came out in 1976. I was 13 at the time, and boy oh boy did it make a big impression on me. I am so glad I had this book at a young age, so that, growing up, I knew from the get go that I was a normal, healthy girl. This is an amazingly informative book. I have to say that I disagree with the above reviewer in that I do not believe the book and its graphic content were there for simply "shock value", but were actual feelings, of actual women, from all over the United States. The fact that it was so graphic is perhaps an eye opener, but all the contents are presented in a fashion that makes it obvious that this is a serious work and not some sort of sleaze. All heterosexual males should read this book, because there is not a better reference of information regarding womens sexuality to be found. Highly recommended.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars BAD SCIENCE, August 26, 2007

By	SevenDelta - See all my reviews

You can put fresh lipstick on a pig but the results are still ugly. The horrible data collection for this book was scientifically discredited in 1976.

The author sent out 100,000 questionnaires, received 3019 and used 1844. From this small, self-selected response she drew her conclusions. First, ask yourself, "If this was cancer research, would I bet my life on a 1.844% sample?"

The questionnaire had 58 essay questions requiring "as much detail as possible." Second, you must ask yourself who took the time to answer. Was it the self-validated career women busy with interesting hobbies and a successful, loving relationship or was it the lonely, bitter, unsatisfied woman sitting at her kitchen table at Three in the morning? Do you have the time and inclination to write a long detailed essay on your sexuality? If you do, this book is about you. If not, I recommend "Heterosexuality" by Masters and Johnson or "The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior." Both offer a more scientific approach to research and more reliable conclusions.