Sixteen chapters of erotic adventure that will get your heart pounding and your juices flowing, regardless of whether you are a man or woman. Relish stories of a doctor with a flair for treating headaches, a computer repairman that takes care of both your hardware and your software, a massage therapist with a hidden agenda, and a nurse that makes house calls. And if that isn't enough, have an adventure at the movies, get a whole new perspective on painless dentistry, or ride the swing in the park. A wide variety of stories that will get you aroused, make you think, cause you to well up with tears, and still have you coming back for more again and again.

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

aThe first book to date to take an in-depth look at the meaning men and women ascribe to their first experiences with sexual intercourse....This body of research appears to be promising and will likely add much information to literature in the area of sexual behavior.a
&$151;"Sex Roles"

"Well written and engaging, Virginity Lost is an extremely valuable contribution, giving us in depth and moving descriptions of how first sexual experiences changed men's and women's lives and capturing interesting comparisons of both heterosexual and homosexual relationships and encounters. Laura Carpenter assumes nothing, and therefore, learns a great deal. Reading this book has changed the way I look at first intercourse. I am in the author's debt, as is, I believe, the entire field of sexology."
--Pepper Schwartz, author of "Everything You Know about Love and Sex Is Wrong"

"A provocative book. Carpenter's extensive in-depth research shows that the meaning of virginity loss differs by gender and by sexual orientation. For the details, read this excellent book!"
--Judith Lorber, author of "Paradoxes of Gender"

"Laura Carpenter has added hugely to our impoverished understanding of how young people manage the transition from virginity. Her lively and graceful account of virginity loss enriches our knowledge of sexual development."--Frank Furstenberg, author of "Teenage Sexuality, Pregnancy, and Childbearing"

"I've read many books in the field of sexuality, and I must say that this is one of the best I've come across. . . . A joy to read."
--Denise Donnelly, co-editor of "Sex Matters: The Sexuality and Society Reader"

aThis is agreat book. It is well researched, grounded in compelling personal stories from 61 diverse young Americans, and accessibly written...Carpenter nicely grounds her analysis in sociocultural context, considering wider social reasons for shifting attitudes toward virginity loss and adeptly attending to the intersecting identifications of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality.a
"Choice," Highly recommended

Nervous, inexperienced, confused. For most, losing your virginity is one of life's most significant moments, always to be remembered. Of course, experiences vary, but Laura Carpenter asks: Is there an ideal way to lose it? What would constitute a "positive" experience? What often compels the big step? And, further, what does "going all the way" really mean for young gays and lesbians?

In this first comprehensive study of virginity loss, Carpenter teases out the complexities of all things virgin by drawing on interviews with both young men and women who are straight, gay or bisexual. Virginity Lost offers a rare window into one of life's most intimate and significant sexual moments. The stories here are frank, poignant and fascinating as Carpenter presents an array of experiences that run the gamut from triumphant to devastating.

Importantly, Carpenter argues that one's experience of virginity loss can have a powerful impact on one's later sexual experiences. Especially at a time of increased debate about sexual abstinence versus safe sex education in public schools, this important volume will provide essential information about the sex lives of young people.

"Many times I thought I couldn't live with you. "And many times I know I can't live without you." Among a myriad of books about love and relationships, you will not find another quite like 'C'. A story "for Couples coming and going," 'C' brings wit and wisdom, anecdotes and observations from a writer who has truly lived it ... in ways that frequently mirror our own. With a lively, unique and refreshing blend of narrative, musical lyrics and quotable quotes, 'C' takes us on a journey through the phases of Coupling, from "Finding your 'C'-Mate," to "Un-Coupling" and even "Post-Couple Coupling." While being a couple is, in many ways, rather simple (put two people together and - ka-boom - you have a couple), a multitude of factors can enhance, aggravate or even detour the relationship. 'C' draws on the author's life 'n times with "special colleagues" to give us a highly perceptive view of what happens at various stages in relationships, while offering actionable ideas that help make Coupling more fun. Sometimes funny, heartwarming or even heartbreaking, 'C' makes no pretenses about being more than its title implies. Whether you're a 20-something, a mid-lifer or older ... currently Coupling, Un-Coupling or at stages in-between ... 'C' can help smooth out "speed bumps" on the highway to forever, and make your Couple-times more meaningful, more enjoyable. Perhaps because, in many ways, 'C' is every reader's story, too.

MASTECTOMY was written to husbands, family members, friends, associates, and medical professionals who care deeply about women living through and after the devastation of mastectomy. Seven young mothers openly disclose personal information about their bodies, their sexual behaviors, and their innermost hopes and fears. You will be amazed at how these women struggled to regain a sense of autonomy after realizing that they were no longer in control of their own bodies. A common thread weaves through all of the stories - these courageous women willed to live a full life despite their ordeals. By reading their stories about how they took charge of their lives and journeyed from devastation to resilience, I know you will be better prepared for the mastectomy experience as a patient, a doctor, a caregiver, a friend, or a family member. As you read about life after breast cancer, you will realize the need to listen to their fears, concerns, and discussions of their options. Above all, they need to know that you are there with them. A line from an old movie goes something like this: "Do you know what was worse than going to the dark side of the moon? It was going there alone." When confronted with the devastating discovery of breast cancer, every woman needs information about her options. But even more, she needs to hear: "You are no less a woman. You are not in this alone - I am here with you." The book illuminates the world of mastectomy patients through their innermost thoughts, allowing the reader to feel their devastation and marvel at the ways they created resilience.

This ground-breaking book explores the experiences of gay men and their understanding of what it meant to be gay in the 20th Century: from when homosexuality was illegal through the less repressed but no less difficult eras of gay liberation and the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

In a perfect world, your man would tell you that he wants you to be a lady in public and a FREAK in the bedroom...Well the world may never be perfect, however ladies, all you may have to do is take some of the advice given in this book, and your man will be a happy camper Toye Cook, MSN, RN, a. k. a. Miss Toye takes us on an exploration and examination of relationships through the eyes of a professional woman, single mother, and lover, all integrated elements of her self. A combination of professional observation, personal experiences with the men in her life, and stories of triumph in getting men to be honest while not becoming another basher make for a refreshing, entertaining, yet enlightening essay. Hers is a reality approach, asking the tough questions and providing some useful yet practical answers, that help lead us to finding the power within to create and enjoy the healthy relationships which we all desire. WARNING This book contains sexual content that may be offensive to some readers.

The mission of A Theory and Celebration of Male Sexual Arousal by Females: The Foundation of Male Heterosexuality, is to glean insights into the origin and nature of the male rapture of being sexually alive. Males have a precious innate capacity and automatic disposition to joyously respond to the view and touch of beautiful nude females. Males actually do not have a choice. They must react with increasing levels of sexual excitement to increasing levels of perceived female beauty, as this genetic predisposition evolved from their ancient forefathers in order to facilitate reproductive success. abolished and substituted with an exultation of this wonderful gift from mother nature. Male sexual arousal by young, fertile females was probably the most important single evolutionary cause of reproductive success, and thus the ultimate determination of human survival. With insight into the origin and nature of male sexual arousal by females, males can consider their sexuality to be a self-actualization, a rejoicing, a rapture of being sexually alive.

One of the most basic--and ancient--forms of birth control is the condom. Utilized by all cultures for millennia, and referred to by many colorful euphemisms, it has featured in the lives, loves, and letters of some of the most famous men in history. Shakespeare, Casanova, George Bernard Shaw, to mention only a few, all appreciated and wrote about the importance of using "preventatives." Aine Collier provides a unique glimpse into human sexual habits, customs, beliefs, and attitudes in this first history of the prophylactic device that goes back to at least the ancient Egyptians. As she amply demonstrates, the story of this humble piece of paraphernalia is full of intriguing insights into human character with all its flaws and foibles as well as many fascinating historical details:
- Clergymen of the Middle Ages left records of birth control methods that "worked."
- Columbus's men returned from the New World infected with the "Great Pox" (syphilis) leading to the rediscovery of the condom as a disease preventative.
- Sixteenth-century Italian anatomist Gabriello Fallopio (discoverer of the Fallopian tube) should be considered the father of the modern condom; he was the first to add a pink ribbon to his sheaths, a flourish that remained standard for centuries.
- When women had few choices in the world of commerce, a significant number found a legitimate and profitable business niche producing and selling sheaths.
- During the Great Depression, while other businesses went bankrupt, condom manufacturers found themselves doing a booming trade throughout the 1930s, one of Wall Street's few successes. Sadly, it was cheaper to pay 25 cents for a rubber than to have children.
- German gummis were acknowledged to be the finest in the world, until the Nazis made them illegal, fearing Jewish doctors had coerced innocent Germans into using them as birth control.
- AIDS has brought the condom full circle. Not for the first time in history has the little device been vilified as a promoter of dirty, illicit sex and lauded as a life-saving device.
Thoroughly researched yet presented in a witty, enjoyable style, The Humble Little Condom is both an entertaining read and an educational, impeccably researched popular history.

The New York Times Bestseller 'Blows your mind on every page' Caitlin Moran 'Should be mandatory reading for anyone who cares about the next generation' Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone Peggy Orenstein broke ground with her bestselling Girls & Sex, exploring young women's right to pleasure and agency in sexual encounters. Now she turns her focus to boys with an examination of how young men are navigating sexual culture in these changing times - and what we need to do to help them. Drawing on comprehensive interviews with young men, psychologists and experts in the field, Boys & Sex dissects 'locker room talk'; pornography as the new sex education; the role of empathy; boys' understanding of hookup culture and consent; and their experience as both perpetrators and victims of sexual assault. By presenting young men's experience in all its complexity, Orenstein unravels the hidden truths, hard lessons and important realities of young male sexuality in today's world. The result is a provocative and paradigm-shifting work that offers a much-needed vision of how boys can truly move forward as better men.

If you have any inhibitions about sex or want to enhance the pleasure you get from sex, this revised and expanded edition of Becoming Orgasmic is for you.

Whether you're married, separated, divorced, or widowed; under 30, over 60, or somewhere in between; the program presented within these pages will help you feel comfortable with yourself and your ideas about sex and enable you to grow as a person.

* Evaluate your sexual history and put it in perspective
* Explore your body through touch
* Understand the effects of pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause on sexual desire and response
* Be comfortable with your body and yourself as a woman
* Share self-discovery with your partner
* What to try if something turns you off
* Overcome the fear of orgasm
* Explore ways to trigger orgasm
* Sex in the modern world -- social expectations, personal values, and choosing a partner in the age of AIDS

A personal and sensitively written book, Becoming Orgasmic is designed to make you feel good about your sexuality and yourself.

Linda LeMoncheck introduces a new way of thinking and talking about women's sexual pleasures, preferences, and desires. Using the tools of contemporary analytic philosophy, she discusses methods for mediating the tensions among apparently irreconcilable feminist perspectives on women's sexuality and shows how a feminist epistemology and ethic can advance the dialogue in women's sexuality across a broad political spectrum. Such a dialogue encourages both women and men to take up a feminist perspective in exploring the meaning and value of sexuality in their lives.

Written by sex educator and body-positivity advocate Ruby Rare, Sex Ed is the practical and fun guide to sex that you've always wanted - but never known how to ask for. This is the information you should have been taught at school: a no-holds-barred roadmap that covers everything from how the brain is the most important sex organ and how to communicate what you want to yourself and a partner, all the way down to the messy stuff - solo sex, orgasms, touching, kissing, blow jobs, cunnilingus, anal play, lube, toys, kegels. After all, sex education shouldn't start and end with putting a condom on a banana.

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Think Like a Monk offers a revelatory guide to every stage of romance, drawing on ancient wisdom and new science. Nobody sits us down and teaches us how to love. So we're often thrown into relationships with nothing but romance movies and pop culture to help us muddle through. Until now. Instead of presenting love as an ethereal concept or a collection of cliches, Jay Shetty lays out specific, actionable steps to help you develop the skills to practice and nurture love better than ever before. He shares insights on how to win or lose together, how to define love, and why you don't break in a break-up. Inspired by Vedic wisdom and modern science, he tackles the entire relationship cycle, from first dates to moving in together to breaking up and starting over. And he shows us how to avoid falling for false promises and unfulfilling partners. By living Jay Shetty's eight rules, we can all love ourselves, our partner, and the world better than we ever thought possible.