Sex for America: Politically Inspired Erotica (Paperback)

by Stephen Elliott (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sex for America takes us to the intersection of our desires and our political beliefs. These provocative stories by some of today's best writers, including Anthony Swofford, Jerry Stahl, Rick Moody, and Jonathan Ames, will inspire new discussions of sexual freedom and fascination. A surprising encounter between a lesbian and a young man shipping off to war, a liberal Hill staffer falling for the wife of a Republican senator, and Dick Cheney's duck hunt accident as jilted lover's revenge. See your government—and your most recent sex partners—as you've never seen them before.

About the Author

Stephen Elliott is the author of the political memoir Looking Forward to It, the novel Happy Baby, and the story collection My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up. He lives in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (January 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061351210
• ISBN-13: 978-0061351211
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,322,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not erotic, August 19, 2008

By	Heather Puhl (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To deserve the title of "erotica" a work needs to be sexy in some way, or at least designed to be stimulating. This book could be more aptly described as "intercourse-related" stories with political themes. There is one funny story of a lesbian bondage scene where the torture is threats of conservative policy, but the rest of the stories ranging from surreal almost sci-fi to gritty realism are not even humorous, let alone arousing. There is entirely too much anal (and other) rape and too much margarine-used-as-lube in this collection. I had to give it two stars though, because it somehow convinced me to finish the whole book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex For America -- Right On, February 15, 2008

By	ronala "ronala" (Princeton, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

I picked up Elliott's latest anthology, "Sex for America," getting on the red-eye at Los Angeles International. I finished it by the time I reached New York. It was a fascinating collection of short stories ranging from sexy to scary and straight to bent, with stops in between, and a trenchant political slant, but a good read for anyone, regardless of political persuasion. Considering the pervasive bias against the Bush administration (like Mistress Morgana's wacky "Open Letter") you could say it was an exercise in master-baiting.
There were 24 short works in this anthology. "Li'l Dickens" was hilarious and I would not want to be in Stahl's shoes if Dick Cheney becomes President. The tales were generally well written, often gripping, and full of quotables. In "Music From Earth" Michelle Tea observes that "this was America, something San Francisco was not involved with."

Swofford's "Escape and Evasion" was a gripping tale of a homosexual predator, where you see events partly through the eyes of a serial rapist, hoping he's caught and punished yet still fascinated by his twistedness. Puzzled and frustrated in the end, as the rapist welcomes his brutal punishment.

Achingly touching was Gottlieb's "Undone," heavily sad with the pain of lost love. On the light side I loved Tyler's "Measure A." Its counterpoint of sex and local politics was funny and titillating and absurd all at the same time. Frey's "The Candidate's Wife" was another good one, really interesting and satisfying.

Another laffer was Keith Knight's comic strip "War-gy" -- all those bobbing butts and bubbling commentary was hilarious. It was preceded by Elliot's "Social Contract," a penetrating evocation of the bonding in bondage.

Finally, "Sex For America" has something for every taste -- even for several tastes at once. I could recommend this book to anyone interested in serious modern writing, in erotica, in politics, or just in having a good time. But be warned: after reading it you will want a smoke.