Hump: True Tales of Sex After Kids [Paperback]

Kimberly Ford (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 8, 2008

“Kimberly Ford is a gift to every woman who accidentally left her sex life in the maternity ward. Hump is brainy and earthy and downright inspiring.”—Kelly Corrigan, author of The Middle Place

Cheerfully honest, sometimes startling—and just a bit dirty—HUMP is a smart, subversive look behind real-life parental bedroom doors

Hump puts the lie to the conventional wisdom that once your children are born, your sex life dies.  Hump is the chronicle of how a wide variety of couples have reclaimed their former, more sexy selves even amid the chaos of households teeming with young children.  Hump is organized into thought-providing sections, including chapters such as:
--“Back in the Saddle” (first-time-after-childbirth sex)
--“I touch myself” (self—ahem—explanatory)
--“Snip!” (vasectomies)
--“Snap!” (what happens when the condom breaks)

By turns poetic and informative, Hump will inspire women to reclaim their bodies for themselves and their husbands, and to make sex a priority in their own lives no matter how many scuffed sneakers they have to kick out of the way to make it to bed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Journalist Ford's debut, a collection of essays about how sexuality changes after children are added to the marital equation, is a flaccid affair. Despite the abundance of steamy vernacular, the author's tepid and detached delivery—and fondness for third-party reportage—make her come across as removed and impassive. Ford is a clunky stylist; her choice to refer to couples in her bawdy anecdotes as baby Nate's mom and Lucas' young dad stunt much of the book's comedic—and carnal—potential. Moments that should have left readers hooting and blushing—such as an explosively flatulent infant in bed with a couple engaged in vigorous lovemaking—fail to deliver. The chapters Pleasure Party and Kinderotics do entertain in their descriptions of women-only crowds attempting to reclaim or augment their sexual prowess through erotic dancing and myriad sex toys. Ford is capable of movingly depicting the pure doggedness of lust after childbirth and child-rearing and inspires with stories of rekindled passion; when she goes for laughs, however, her book falls flat. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“A thoughtful and engaging dive into the post-partum bedroom. I found myself surprisingly inspired and heartily concurring with the passionate Ms. Ford!”—Christie Mellor, author of The Three-Martini Playdate and Were You Raised by Wolves?

“Hot and hopeful, Hump shows us that post-partum sex is not only possible, but a beautiful thing to be desired in itself. This book should be on every tired mommy’s night stand, next to her vibrator.”—Erika Schickel, author of You’re Not the Boss of Me

“Hide it where the kids won’t find it! This bawdy memoir, written by a self-described ‘pro-sex’ mom, is what every parent needs to spice up the daily dose of diaper changing and drool. A celebration of sex in the context of marriage, Ford’s Hump will inspire more adult playtime and greater intimacy with your spouse.”—Jennifer Margulis, author of Why Babies Do That

“Racy, fun and intelligent, this book should be required reading for new parents. It’s a sure-cure for even the worst case of wilted libido.” —Cindy La Ferle, award-winning journalist and author of Writing Home

“Hump is like an invitation to the circle of friends every mother needs…the women who make her feel safe, challenged, respected, and most of all, entertained.”—Martha Brockenbrough, author of It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond

“Written with honesty, style and wit—Ford’s stories assure us that a lifetime of passionate humping can be ours!”—Brett Paesel, author of Mommies Who Drink: Sex, Drugs and Other Distant Memories of an Ordinary Mom

“Finally a book about sex after children that isn’t a saccharine, maudlin, mess.” —Pepper Schwartz, author of Prime: Adventures and Advice on Sex, Love and the Sensual Years

“Blunt and funny, Hump is California-Kim’s definitive antidote to post-partum depression, detailing the frankly explicit solo and partnered thrills of sex. She invites us to appreciate her evidence: our reproductive imperative enhances rather than impedes healthy genital friction.” —Lynn Margulis, Distinguished University professor, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Department of Geosciences, co-author with Dorion Sagan of Mystery Dance: On the Evolution of Human Sexuality

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312376820
• ISBN-13: 978-0312376826
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointed September 3, 2008

By Half Dome climbers

Format:Paperback

I chose this book due to a rave review in a mommy blog I read and the five star reviews here on Amazon, and had high hopes for some "creative" ways to improve our monogamous, post-baby sex life. I am, apparently, the only disappointed reader so far.

In the introduction, Kimberly (I can't seem to call her Mrs. Ford after having read so much about her personal life) uses the word F**K more times than I have seen in print, ever. There is a chapter on vibrators, and the clear opinion that EVERYONE needs one, or rather MANY, on hand for all intimate moments. Having used one, I can say with experience, "Yes, they have a place." But so does a husband who takes the time to learn just what to do, and does it.

Another chapter discusses pornography as a way of spicing up your marriage. I am sad to say I know more than a few wives whose husbands are addicted to pornography and it has damaged their marriage, and their intimacy, irreparably. Kimberly is not advocating pornography as an addiction, but I doubt these men intended it that way at the beginning. I think it would take a strong man to only view with his wife, and therein lies the problem.

A couple of useful chapters, if you know little about your own body, are the ones on "self exploration" and the one on masturbation. The chapter on vasectomies (Snip) and abortion (Snap) were mostly well done. But the chapters on bikini waxing as a way to "improve sensation" and the one on "pleasure parties" and her experience with a professional lap dancer were more than a little strange.

I appreciate her honesty, and her sense of humor. But, I guess I was looking for something different. I personally am not comfortable with using pornography (I have watched in the past, and it isn't my thing.) I have no desire to learn to lap or pole dance, and I don't have girl friends with whom I am comfortable practicing, and I don't find a drawer of various vibrators necessary, personally.

So, if you are looking for fun stories about married "mommy sex", this may be for you. If you are looking for practical advice on how to improve sex and intimacy with your husband, keep looking.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny for dads . . . July 23, 2008

By RMJ

Format:Paperback

As evidenced by the first line of the book (not printable here?), this is a great book for husbands. It's not quite Dave Barry, but there are some definite "laughed so hard I couldn't speak" moments here. Whether it was the experiences with Zing Cream, the chapter about not getting "snipped", couples are creating "private time", or one couple's "top 10 reasons to have sex", I found myself laughing out loud over and over and over again.
Everyone knows that a healthy sex life makes for a better marriage and happier partners, but most of the time the only advice we get is "you gotta schedule it". I found HUMP to be about all the interesting, creative, and very very funny ways that a group of real people bring sexuality into the daily (and nightly) craziness of parenthood.
About 10 years ago, Paul Reiser (remember the TV show Mad About You w/ Helen Hunt?) wrote a hilarious but G-rated book called "Parenthood". This is the R-rated version . . . and it's probably funnier and more meaningful at the same time.
The only thing that's missing from this book? We need an Afterword to explain how that one guy can tell when his wife is ovulating. That's a talent we all need!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bold, Hilarious, and Inspiring July 16, 2008

By Jennifer Margulis, editor of Toddler: Real-Life Stories of Those Fickle, Irrational, Urgent, Tiny People We Love

Format:Paperback

Full disclosure: I know Kimberly and admire her writing, appreciate her sense of humor, and am moved by kindness to friends, family, and people in need. Which, perhaps, is why it's even more fun to pick up this book and read about how naughty she and her friends can be in the bedroom. Full of great advice, honesty, and hilarious misadventures, HUMP is a book you want to read -- whether to spice up your sex life or to get some new ideas for an already active libido. But the book isn't facile. There's a lot of hurt and emotion and elbows and knees here as well. If you haven't read it yet, you're lucky -- you have a treat in store (just don't drink soda while you're reading. You're apt to laugh so hard you'll snort it out your nose!)