Sex Smart: 501 Reasons to Hold Off on Sex: A Sexuality Resource for Teenagers [Paperback]

Susan Browning Pogany (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1998

Written by a medical science journalist and parent, this book provides straightforward answers to hundreds of questions teens have about sex and relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These books concentrate on teen abstinence, idealizing post-adolescent marriage and "committed relationships" as the best settings for sex. The Eyres, authors of several books on parenting, including Teaching Your Children Values (LJ 3/15/93), propose telling children: "Sex is awesome and wonderful: save it for the one you love." Tips, reading selections, and sample dialogs are given for each age group, along with appropriate preparation and follow-up. Though much here is excellent, few sex educators support withholding information from young children, as the Eyres seem to recommend; and the book cannot stand alone, since many details about sex are not provided. Only for libraries with other, more detailed books, such as Mary Calderone and James Ramey's Talking with Your Child About Sex (LJ 12/15/82), Patty Stark's Sex Is More Than a Plumbing Lesson (Preston Hollow, 1991), and Stanton and Brenna Jones's Christian-based How & When To Tell Your Kids About Sex (NavPress, 1993). Pogany, a medical/science journalist, makes some good points (e.g., coitus can have devastating consequences for adolescents), and her assertions are well referenced. Nor is she preachy; rather, she aims to empower young people to reach their own goals. Still, Sex Smart is ultimately a straightforward "scare" book and is recommended only for collections with other, comprehensive teen sex books. But do buy Patti Breitman and others' excellent How To Persuade Your Lover To Use a Condom...And Why You Should (LJ 8/87).AMartha Cornog, American Coll. of Physicians, Philadelphia
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Recommended! -- Dr. Laura Schlessinger

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Fairview Press (September 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577490436
• ISBN-13: 978-1577490432
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Texas teen: I LOVED THIS BOOK!, January 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sex Smart: 501 Reasons to Hold Off on Sex: A Sexuality Resource for Teenagers (Paperback)

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I am a 17 yr. old girl. Even though I am not a virgin anymore this book made me realize that I am taking some pretty big risks when having sex and therefore I have made my New Year's resolution to abstain until I am older and have a stable life. I made a mistake and I rushed into sex thinking I was missing out or it was gonna be something beautiful when in fact it wasn't. I really appreciated this book. I don't think I could have found anything to have made me change my mind about the way I was doing sleeping around, but this book inspired me to see that there is nothing wrong with abstaining and with having self-respect and waiting on sex. That's how I see it now. At first I was like it's all BS but then as I kept reading more, I saw that the book was right and I realized that the only reason I had sex was because I felt pressured. Now I know that it doesn't matter what they think or what a guy wants. It's about what hurts me and what doesn't. Hey, if all the other ones are doing it, then let them go for it but I will just stick to my education from now on.

At first I was afraid of people at my school seeing me read this book so I would hide it. Then I decided I would show it to my friends so that they would think about the way they are living their lives and having sex at such a young age. It is funny, too, because I checked this book out at my school library and my friends thought I had probably gotten it somewhere else. When they saw the school stamp, they were surprised. I really appreciate that the author wrote this book. It has made a difference in my life.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Book On Teen Abstinence Around, October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sex Smart: 501 Reasons to Hold Off on Sex: A Sexuality Resource for Teenagers (Paperback)

As a New York City Public High School Health teacher, I can honestly say this is the best book on "Why teens shouldn't have sex" that I have ever seen. Most importantly, it DOES NOT list religious reasons for avoiding sex, which is an absolute necessity for using it in public schools. I was surprised at how much my (mostly sexually active) students took to it. I especially liked that the author presented the ideas in small bites- it made it easy for my kids to browse through it, reading "here and there." I also liked all the quotes from teens who talked about how sex had hurt their relationships. One failing of the book is that it occasionaly offered contradictions, for instance, ending the chapter on how males must pay child support with a notation that many women never receive this support. I would have liked the author to address these contradictions a little more directly. Otherwise, a very well done and informative book.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Got teens/Struggling giving them sex advice? Read this book!, November 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sex Smart: 501 Reasons to Hold Off on Sex: A Sexuality Resource for Teenagers (Paperback)

The author seems to have the ability to remember what it was like being a teenager and wondering how involved you should get sexually with your boyfriend/girlfriend. She does not lecture on the morals of sex, just the practical (physical and emotional) consequences - but in a matter-of-fact, nonconfrontational manner. The author addresses the different aspects of having sex (emotional ties, differences between how boys and girls think/feel about sex, STDs, pregnancy, child support (even if the boy is 15 yrs. old!), and many comments from teens who have and haven't had sex. This book should be given to all teenagers by their parents (and read first by their parents.) It will be valuable reading for everyone whether you have a strong, open communication line about sex with your teenager, or whether the subject never comes up at all. Give it to your teenager and make some bargain where he/she has to read it from cover to cover! It may be the best bargain you ever make.