Author and adolescent psychiatrist, Lynn Ponton, M.D., unveils plenty of daunting scenarios in The Sex Lives of Teenagers. On these pages, we meet Naomi, a pregnant teen who wants to have her baby; Lara, who is infected with HIV; Tom, who is hooked on pornographic videos; and Angie, who was sexually assaulted after getting drunk at a party. Ponton also tells stories of teens struggling with sexual identity, curious about normal sexual function, and dealing with pressure to have sex before they feel ready. In addition, sprinkled throughout are the voices of parents who struggle to cope with their teens' problems and, for the most part, seek to offer guidance and support, though not always successfully. At times, Ponton seems to dwell on the dark and disturbing side of teens and sex: the boy who is sexually assaulted by a priest; the mother who calls her HIV-infected daughter a slut; the teen who discovers that his father sexually harasses female employees. Some of these situations may discourage parents, who have educated themselves about more common situations and who simply can't believe these types of things could happen to their children.
The best course of action might be for parents to read this book together with their teens, and to use some of the stories as jumping-off points for discussion. As Ponton makes clear in the opening chapter, all teens have sex lives--whether or not they are sexually active. And despite the sexually charged culture teens are exposed to daily, sex remains a difficult topic for parents and teens to discuss openly. The Sex Lives of Teenagers may be just the tool to help parents open the door to that discussion.--Virginia Smyth
From Library Journal
This superb book offers an eye-opening view of adolescent sexuality through the lens of teen-therapist dialogs interwoven with keen cultural commentary. Ponton, a psychiatrist with 20 years' experience working with adolescents and their parents and author of The Romance of Risk: Why Teenagers Do the Things They Do, is observant, articulate, and compassionate in her conversations with her clients and their parents and in her descriptions of their dilemmas. Areas of concern include sexual name-calling like "slut," fantasies and masturbation, rock concerts, sex on the net, pressures and misconceptions about becoming sexually active, homosexuality, pregnancy, STDs, violence, and parental sexuality. She excels at inducing family members to be honest and rational with themselves and to talk with one another, setting an example for readers pondering their own situations. Her audience includes both parents and professionals working with young people; many teens themselves would benefit from reading this. An appendix provides tips for parents and teens for thinking and talking about sex. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.DMartha Cornog, Philadelphia
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A fascinating foray into the often tumultuous sex lives of American teens.Based on her extensive psychiatric work with adolescents and their parents, Ponton (Psychiatry/Univ. of California) reveals and analyzes the intimate thoughts and actions of dozens of adolescents. Today's teenagers, the author contends, are confronted with conflicting messages about sex. While the media inundate them with explicit images of sexuality, suggesting that all healthy people are sexually active, it does not sensitize them to the consequences of sex. And parents or teachers often fail to fill that void. Too many feel pressured to have sex before they are ready. In addition, the old double standard still prevails-resurgent, argues Ponton, in the 1990s. While girls fear being labeled sluts by their peers, guys relish being marked as studs. Moreover, today's adolescents confront the threat of AIDS and have access to cyber come-ons in Internet chatrooms. They are also pressured to conform to "strongly defined" gender roles that inhibit them from developing traits and abilities perceived as masculine (for girls) or feminine (for boys). Using two distinct case studies, Ponton portrays the difficulties faced by many gay youths who struggle to understand "their own complex feelings that have already existed for a long time." The book reveals that many who are deeply depressed have been victims of homosexual or heterosexual abuse. Perhaps Ponton's most pained young client had been raped by a trusted priest. The sexually abused, she reports, are more likely to engage in a variety of self-destructive behaviors, ranging from drunk driving and having unprotected sex to actual suicide attempts. While the sexual abuse of boys has serious consequences, Ponton maintains that is seriously underreported. With an appendix of accessible tips for children and their parents, this book makes important reading for teachers and counselors, as well. -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
Ponton remains warm, unsensationalistic and empathetic, always focused... develop the necessary skills to achieve healthier emotional and sexual lives. -- Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Dr. Lynn Ponton is a leading figure in adolescent psychiatry who has spent more than twenty years working with teenagers and their parents. Dr. Ponton's work has been featured in leading newspapers and magazines, including Newsweek and The New York Times, and she has appeared on 60 Minutes and Dateline.
