S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College [Paperback]

Heather Corinna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2007

Have you ever wondered… Am I normal? (and what is "normal," anyway?) What's up down there? I really like girls, but I like boys sometimes, too. Am I gay, bisexual, or just messed up? Are we both really ready to have sex? Is it ok if I masturbate? I feel like I can't ever say no to my partner. What's the problem? Heather Corinna and Scarleteen.com have been providing sex education and information for young adults, parents, and mentors for nearly ten years. Whether you're straight, gay, sexually active, or just plain curious, S.E.X. spells out everything you need to know, including: A sexual readiness checklist Illustrations of female and male reproductive anatomy How to love your body, even when it's changing every day Tips on safer sex for body, heart, and mind An in-depth birth control breakdown How to create and enjoy the relationships that are right for you Popular mechanics of partnered sex: sexual activities explained, including pregnancy and STI risks STIs 101: what they are and how to keep yourself from getting them

Editorial Reviews

Review

Library Journal (Booksmack! e-newsletter), 6/2/11
“A great deal about body health and maintenance is included. An outstanding resource section offers both print and online information.”

Curve

“The Our Bodies, Ourselves for the MySpace generation, this book by the founder of sex ed website Scarleteen.com is a comprehensive course in sexuality and sexual health for teens of any orientation and their parents, teachers and counselors…In a society that all too often scolds and belittles teenagers often deserving of more credit, S.E.X. is revolutionary.”

 

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 05/13/07

“This is another groundbreaking book.”

 

Library Journal

“Corinna has put together a blockbuster of a book for young people dealing with sex and relationships. Much like the authors of Our Bodies, Ourselves and its spinoffs, Corinna answers every possible question teens and young adults could have about virginity, puberty, pregnancy, body image, masturbation, sexual identity, the variety of relationships, and the mechanics of partnered sex. She also addresses topics that are often overlooked, e.g., transgender and intergender identities, realistic teen relationship management skills, and pornography. An excellent resource for preteens, teens, young adults, and people working with these populations; highly recommended for most libraries.”

 

Lisa Jervis, Bitch magazineco-founder

“Not only would my own adolescence have been vastly less painful and confusing if I'd had access to the accurate, comprehensive, and above all nonjudgmental information that Heather Corinna so carefully provides, but S.E.X. is, literally, a lifesaving book: Corinna's vast commonsense wisdom--especially on topics relating to gender roles, queer sexuality, and gender identities--has the potential to improve the physical and emotional health of anyone who reads it, and to help heal our culture's unhealthy, conflicted approaches to sex, sexuality, and gender.”

 

Bust magazine, June/July 2007

“Sexpert Heather Corinna is the big sis you wish you'd had when you were a confused, pimply teen…Geared towards 16-22-year-olds of any gender, S.E.X. covers the nuts and bolts of anatomy in a tone that's conversational, not cutesy…it's her holistic approach and deft handling of other heavy topics, from eating disorders to abuse, that make this book a must-read.”

 

Minnesota Women’s Press, July 2007

“S.E.X .itself is revolutionary as a feminist, GLBT-friendly and overall progressive collection of sexual education material. It offers an alternative and uplifting view of sex.”

 

Toronto Star, 7/26/07

“If you're a parent looking for an accurate and non-judgmental text for your blossoming adolescent, or a blossoming adolescent or twenty-something yourself, here it is.”

About the Author

Heather Corinna is a writer, artist, educator, activist, and Internet publisher and community organizer in her mid-thirties. She has been bringing original, inclusive, informative, feminist, creative, and radical sexuality content to the web since 1997.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600940102
• ISBN-13: 978-1600940101
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Teens > Health, Mind & Body > Sexuality
  • #44 in Books > Teens > Social Issues
  • #83 in Books > Self-Help > Sex

More About the Author

Heather Corinna is the executive director of Scarleteen.com, the inclusive online resource for teen and young adult sexuality education and information she founded in 1998.

She is the author of S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College; a co-founder of the All Girl Army; and director of the CONNECT sexual health outreach program for King County, which primarily serves homeless and transient youth. She is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Sexuality Education, a writer and contributing editor for the 2011 edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves, a member of the Board of Directors for NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, and her sexuality advice is also syndicated weekly at RH Reality Check, and she has come on board in 2011 as Ms. Magazine's first sexuality advice columnist online.

Heather was the winner of The Champions of Sexual Literacy Award for Grassroots Activism from the National Sexuality Resource Center/SFSU in 2007; in 2009 the winner of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, Western Region's Public Service Award and the Our Bodies, Ourselves' Women's Health Heroes Award. In 2011, Scarleteen won a Seattle Web Award for Best Nonprofit Website. An educator for over 20 years, before working in sex education specifically, she worked in Kindergarten and pre-K education utilizing Montessori and unschooling methods and frameworks.

A Chicago native, she now lives and works on an island in the Pacific Northwest, and will often fill the spare three minutes she has each day hula-hooping, cooking vegan goodies, playing with her pug, exploring forests or making music and art.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarleteen Founder's Sex Ed Book Is A Must Read June 20, 2007

By C.K. Kelly Martin

Format:Paperback

There are so many things to recommend this book aimed at youth 16 - 22 (but containing info valuable to a much wider age range) that it's difficult to know where to begin. S.E.X. contains a lot of the information you find in guides aimed at a young readership - anatomy lessons, safer sex guidelines, a breakdown of birth control options, definitions of various sexual activities and infections. The difference here is Heather Corinna's (who as the founder of the world's most awesome sex ed site, Scarleteen, has seen and heard it all) dedication to tugging the rest of society closer to her dream of a world where everyone is "healthy, happy and whole in themselves and their sexuality: in body, heart, and mind."

To that end the book is truly inclusive. In a section on sexual identity Corinna points out that "this isn't the gay chapter" and indeed the book doesn't assume a heterosexual default the way many do - or root itself in traditional gender roles. Nor does it assume that sex is better when connected with love or marriage. The emphasis is unfailingly on communication, being as safe as possible, respecting your own and others' boundaries and fitting sex into the rest of your life in a healthy and enjoyable way.

The slant seems so balanced and logical that it's a wonder society at large is in such a mess when it comes to sex and sexuality. But popular culture with its constant projection of a hyper-sexuality which is unvarying and prescriptive (dictating what sort of bodies we should have, the kinds of activities we should be engaging in and who should be performing them - and how) would seem to be the enemy of this logic. To counter these negative messages and arrive at a healthy body image, Heather suggests reducing TV watching and binning your fashion magazines, noticing the diversity around you in your everyday life, focusing on things other than appearance and concentrating on physical activities you enjoy (whether that be team sports, canoeing, whatever).

Of course there's a lot of sex in this book and sexual activities are catalogued along with their pregnancy and STI risk. You'll learn that the idea that female virgins are supposed to be "tight" is pure myth. "A woman having first intercourse very well might be tight, but that is likely due more to nervousness, fear, and anxiety than it is to whether or not she has had partnered sex before." If a woman's relaxed, aroused and lubricated enough with a patient partner first-time sex doesn't need to be painful. The idea of premature ejaculation is "a bit bogus" too. There's no "minimum time that is acceptable for erection" and sexual activity can continue in other ways afterwards. There's no reason that all (or any) of the fun has to spring from penetration.

Unfortunately, not at all sex is consensual and S.E.X. also discusses healing from abuse and rape. "One-half of all rape victims are raped between the ages of fourteen and seventeen." Roughly a third of "high-school and college students has experienced sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional violence in dating relationships."

As adults, we don't do near enough honest talking about these issues. How can we expect young people to deal with the rampant sexual assumptions and expectations, misinformation and pressure created by living in a society that on the one hand tells them sex is something serious and special to save for later while simultaneously drowning them in images that promote the very opposite?

For starters we could buy them this book. If everyone read, digested and lived by the philosophies espoused in S.E.X. our sexual problems would be a thing of the past.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bought Two, One for Each Son February 25, 2011

By G.B. R.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fabulous book. I just gave copies to my sons, 14 and 18, and I'm convinced it's the only sex education book they will need from now well into their 20s.

I gave each of them a copy along with this note:

"Mom and I are giving you this book, and the notes here, so that you have a great source of factual information about sex and relationships all in one place.

"We know you have had quite a bit of "sex ed" already at school, but there is always more to learn, and after looking around, we think this is one of the best resources. It goes well beyond what school teaching offers, and does a better job than I could even in hours of conversation. It's not easy for parents to talk to kids about sex, so this book at least gets the right information out to you and then opens the door for questions and discussion, whenever you want. I have been married once before and was in various other relationships, so I know a lot about this stuff and I want you to know I am totally open to questions and discussion, any time.

"Mom and I like this book because it's really straightforward and very complete, and also free of any judgmental or moralistic viewpoints. Mom and I both think that's the best approach. You have both been raised to be good and moral persons, so you will use your own "gut" (and advice from us, whenever you want it), to choose what you think is right for yourself and the people close to you.

"Giving you this book is not a substitute for talking about these issues whenever we want or need to. In the meantime, here are some tips on sections that we think you should definitely read ..."

From there I went on to highlight the "must read" sections (safe sex, contraception, consent, etc) and told them we would talk about these.

It's a great book and offers comprehensive information in a matter-of-fact, adult manner and in a format that's easy to flip through to find what you're looking for.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I'd had this when I was a teenager... May 2, 2007

By S. Poorman

Format:Paperback

Growing up with a mother who volunteered as a counselor for Planned Parenthood, you'd think I would have had a good education in the area of sexuality - but far from it, really the only thing I heard about was birth control. Sexuality is such a huge part of every human being though, it's amazing that we leave the "education" to pop culture. Now the parent of 3 teenaged daughters, I was absolutely thrilled to get a copy of this book. I plan on getting a couple MORE copies, since I haven't been able to pry it from my middle daughter's hands since giving it to her.

As many previous reviewers have mentioned, the book covers everything - not just STIs and birth control, but the psychological and emotional ramifications of becoming sexually active as well. It's thoughtful and not at all condescending, and I have to wonder how much better the world might be if kids had THIS as their sex education instead of music videos.

Corinna is fearless when it comes to discussing the gamut of topics, so as a parent I had to be fearless as well, knowing in my heart and head that accurate information is the best gift I could give my daughters.