Hooking Up: A Girl's All-Out Guide to Sex And Sexuality [Paperback]

Amber Madison (Author), Diana L. Dell (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006

Where does a young woman find straight talk about sex? And how can she tell whether the information from those sources is accessible, accurate and complete? Books will give facts, but the clinical approach of most books on sex makes the subject as approachable as a cold instrument in the gynaecologist's office, and certainly offers little insight into the emotional issues and real-life dilemmas that surround sexuality. This book gives you comprehensive and accurate information delivered in a style so down-to-earth that its just liking talking to your older sister or best friend. Now there is an educational book about sex that is as captivating as a novel, and as fun as a slumber party. In a voice is both informative and engaging, the author will educate, entertain, and empower you to deal wisely with the questions, decisions and consequences that surround sex and intimate relations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Madison, author of a popular sex column in the Tufts University newspaper, offers candid answers to questions young girls feel uncomfortable asking parents or teachers. Madison realizes she was lucky to grow up in a home where sex was discussed openly, but saw many of her friends without resources when it came to sex education beyond the old condom on the banana in health class. Now, at age 22, Madison is still young enough to remember what it was like as a young girl, but experienced enough to offer advice for real-life sexual situations. Sex-positive, empowering and very funny, Madison writes in chatty prose, without eschewing fact or medical accuracy. Starting with the basics ("Vaginas: What the Hell?") she covers menstruation, STDs and birth control before moving onto more complicated issues like how to handle a guy who complains about wearing a condom, what to expect when you do it for the first time and what exactly constitutes a rape. Sensitive issues are approached with humor and realism: when is the right time to lose your virginity? what do guys really think about relationships? what if you find yourself attracted to another girl? This is the book you wish you'd had as a teenage girl. (Sept.)
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Review

"Amber Madison has managed to provide just the right information in just the right tone." -- Deborah Arrindell, Vice President Health Policy, American Social Health Association

"Delightful reading for both patients and healthcare providers!" -- Janice L. Bacon, M.D., President of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

"Insightful, delightful and funny as hell!" -- Georgine Lamvu, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UNC School of Medicine

"It's all here, from Gonorrhea to the "G" spot, emergency contraception to erectile dysfunction. A very fun smart book." -- Sharon L. Camp, Ph.D., President & CEO, Guttmacher Institute

"This crucial compilation of funny, raw and incredibly honest writings is revolutionary for the 21st century female..." -- Actress, AMBER TAMBLYN

"[I] believe this book can make an enormous contribution towards promoting the sexual health and emotional wellbeing of girls everywhere." -- Diana L. Dell, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical School

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591024706
• ISBN-13: 978-1591024705
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,202 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amber Madison graduated from Tufts University in 2005 where she wrote a popular sex column and studied human sexuality through a double major in Community Health and American Studies. Shortly after graduating she published, "Hooking Up: A Girl's All-Out Guide to Sex and Sexuality," a book for high school and college aged young women about sexual health, sexuality, and relationships. Since then, she's traveled around the country speaking with teens and adults about sex and relationships. She's spoken everywhere from Harvard University to the University of California at Irvine to The Fieldston School. In 2008 she won the sexual health communication award from Choice USA. Adams Media recently published her second book: "Talking Sex With Your Kids: Keeping Them Safe, and You Sane--By Knowing What They're Really Thinking."

Amber is frequently quoted in national publications such as: Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Newsweek, US News and World Report, and USA Today, and has appeared on The Today Show, MTV News, NPR, and dozens of local TV and radio broadcasts. She has written about sex for Glamour Magazine, and is the sex expert for BettyConfidential.com. Her sex education efforts have been written about by Cosmopolitan, US News and World Report, the Boston Globe, USA Today and more. She lives in Manhattan. Visit her online at: www.AmberMadisonOnline.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for girls -- and boys, January 11, 2007

By 

Edward Coburn (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hooking Up: A Girl's All-Out Guide to Sex And Sexuality (Paperback)

I got a copy of this for my 16-year old daughter but after I read it, I want to make sure my 15-year old son reads it too. Be prepared. It's graphic. But you can either let kids go out there unprepared and hope for the best, or you can give them a chance to learn about and think about things in advance so when they get into sexual situations they are prepared to make good, safe and enjoyable decisions. With the help of solid professional support, Amber Madison has done a great job creating a book that speaks to it's audience with a credible style. As the publisher of health information for the general public, I see a lot of books and other resources and this one is on my short list to recommend.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expect a candid, yet analytical, survey, December 10, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hooking Up: A Girl's All-Out Guide to Sex And Sexuality (Paperback)

HOOKING UP: A GIRL'S ALL-OUT GUIDE TO SEX & SEXUALITY comes from a Tufts University graduate who studied human sexuality - but expect not a science-laden treatise, here. It's a most readable, hard-hitting advice column to young women on sexuality, dating, and sex and covers all the basics, from understanding monogamy and sexual risks to contraception - including how to correctly use a condom and assessing problems with their use. Expect a candid, yet analytical, survey which trends where other sex guides fear to go, making it much more useful for modern women than competitors which dance around the subject.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly Recommended Resource, March 12, 2007

By 

Caitlain's Corner (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hooking Up: A Girl's All-Out Guide to Sex And Sexuality (Paperback)

One of the most important things that can be done to encourage adolescent and young women to make safe, responsible decisions about their sexuality is to provide them with the tools and information necessary to make those decisions. Amber's book, Hooking Up-A Girls All-Out Guide to Sex and Sexuality, does just that, and does it in a very balanced way. She discusses the positives AND the negatives associated with a variety of behaviors and decision-making processes, and presents girls with the information necessary to understand how and why their bodies and emotions function as they do.

Amber writes in a conversational tone and with a sense of humor that makes the book an easy read and, perhaps more importantly, easy to comprehend. The book covers just about everything young women need to know in a short, concise format that is not intended to be a treatise on the subject, but rather an introduction to what they need to know to understand how their sexuality impacts them and their bodies at this age. It is also a good read for guys who want some insight into what women face as they learn to manage their own sexuality.

This book accomplishes its purpose so well that I have placed it at the top of my "Must Read" list for teenagers and young women. I wish I had had this book or a book like it when I was in high school, and I'd definitely recommend that any parent give it to their daughter.