Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex (Paperback)

by Sallie Tisdale (Author), Jennifer Ann Daddio (Designer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Tisdale's provocative look at sexuality relates personal experiences alongside meditations on subjects such as pornography and prostitution.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Tisdale (The Long Search for Home in the Pacific Northwest, LJ 3/1/93) has written a beautiful book that presents a very personal philosophy and experience with sex. She divides the book into four phases-desire, arousal, climax, and resolution. The author's journey toward sexual awakening and freedom begins by posing the question, "Why are we so unhappy about our own sexual acts and the acts of others?" Poetically exploring issues such as sexual orientation, pornography, feminist politics, and prostitution, Tisdale moves eloquently from Plato's Symposium and Japanese Ukiyo-e art to Annie Sprinkle and Masters and Johnson. She concludes by conceding that most ethical systems are imperfect and that "the translating of belief into behavior is the most radical sexual behavior of all." This is a book for any reader who has pondered "What is all the fuss about?" and could well serve as a complement to Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of Love (LJ 5/15/94). Recommended for academic and public libraries.
Dana L. Brumbelow, Auburn P.L., Alabama
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Anchor (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385468555
• ISBN-13: 978-0385468558
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #217,080 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank and Insightful; A Rare Mix, November 22, 2002

By	Kevin J. Murtagh Jr. "Philosophy teacher and ... (Rockville Centre, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book in a weekend, and I'm a slow reader. If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be "deprogramming". It teaches the reader to suspend his or her presuppositions and approach sex from a fresh standpoint. She breaks stride with the traditional feminist camp in her discussion of pornography and prostitution by questioning the ideas that many feminists (and I tend to count myself as one) take for granted. She discusses our "sex-drenched, sex-phobic" culture and critiques many of the philosophical ideas that underlie many common views. Highlights include her discussion of the Adam and Eve myth, Augustinian Christianity, sexual taboos, homosexuality, and transgender issues. At one point, she comments that most authors who write about sex do so in a way that seems as if they're afraid that anyone who reads their work will be afraid that they are actually turned on by the subject. Tisdale is not one of these authors. Her language is frank and honest but not gratuitously shocking. I teach a college philosophy course and we will soon be spending two weeks on this book. My students are eagerly awating those lessons. The current lack of interest that academic philosophers have in these issues is unfortunate. We talk about sex all the time and it is such a big part of our lives, yet so many think that the ideas that we approach our sexuality with are not worthy topics for rigorous examination and discussion. We need more writers like Tisdale who are willing to discuss these issues in an honest and intelligent way. Buy this book!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More philosophical than sexual, December 5, 1999

By	B.A. (North Florida) - See all my reviews

Tisdale's book is like a long essay by a compassionate, learned friend. She poses more questions than answers, giving us her opinions and insights without forcing conclusions. Tisdale allows us to reach our own conclusions about sexuality, but opens many doors on the journey. It's a small but powerful and thought-provoking book.

I read this a few years ago when I first began to do male nude photography as a photo student. I needed to come to grips with my own and other's resistance to the male nude form. I found the insights in "Talk Dirty" to be especially relevant and valuable.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from pansies and posey to the down and dirty, July 31, 1998

By	Suzanne Aguilar ([e-mail]) (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

Forget those awful high school sex ed filmstrips - Talk needs to be on the reading list. Tisdale broaches delicate subjects with wit and empathy, leaving no room for ignorance. How many of us have stumbled through our inner sexual landscape without Tisdale's various validations of our highly individual "naughty-mustn't-touch" urges? How many of us are tormented by nights restless wishes, assuming no hope of release from our dark dreams?. I wish Mom could have handed me both The Joy of Sex and Talk Dirty to Me when we had our talk.