This autobiographical account focuses on a ten year span of the author's life, during which he experienced a painful series of traumatic events. Gagnon, a psychotherapist, suffered numerous tragedies including loss of a limb, cancer, death of a loved one, and various other ailments. Throughout all of these physical and emotional losses and trials, the author served others as a psychotherapist. Throughout these difficult experiences, the author learned invaluable lessons from suffering and brought them into the consultation room along with his professional training.

After widespread neglect over many years, the study of human sexuality has recently come to the forefront of many of the most important debates in contemporary society and culture. The continued development of feminist theory, the emergence of gay and lesbian studies, and the impact of the international AIDS pandemic have combined to focus new attention on the ways in which gender and sexuality are shaped in different social and cultural settings, and on the complex interactions betwen sexuality and health in the late twentieth century.
Edited by two of the leading figures in contemporary sex research, "Conceiving Sexuality" brings together the contributions of writers from a wide range of social science disciplines and cultural traditions who are working at the cutting edge of contemporary sex research. Focusing on key areas of concern such as gender power relations, the formation of sexual identities, the dynamics of sexual desire, and the social construction of sexual risk, the essays in "Conceiving Sexuality" provide an important overview of the most pressing topical and theoretical issues currently shaping debate in international and cross-cultural research on sexuality.

This representative survey of sexual behaviour in the general population of America offers basic information about topics such as the transmission of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, child abuse, sexual harassment and sexual violence. Conducted by a research team centred at the University of Chicago, the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) was designed to determine not only incidence and prevalence of sexual practices, but also the social and psychological contexts in which they occur. Based on personal interviews with a probability sample of 3432 American women and men between the ages of 18 and 59, this study explores the extent to which sexual conduct and general attitudes toward sexuality are influenced by gender, age, marital status and other demographic characteristics. Some of the questions the researchers address include: how do social factors such as education, race, and religion affect sexual conduct?; how have American sexual patterns been changing?; how do women's and men's sexual lives and attitudes differ?; and how is sexual behaviour organized across the life course? Other topics covered by the survey include early sexual experiences, masturbation, contraception and fertility, sexual abuse, coercion, sexual health, satisfaction and sexual dysfunction. A wide variety of sexual practices and preferences are also explored in the questionnaire, including specific questions on homosexual desire, identity, and behaviour, the appeal of various sexual practices, and their frequency and incorporation into sexual lives. With many charts, graphs and tables, and a copy of the complete survey questionnaire, this work is intended to be of use as a reference for scientists, analysts and researchers seeking reliable information on the sexual practices of American adults.

This autobiographical account focuses on a ten year span of the author's life, during which he experienced a painful series of traumatic events. Gagnon, a psychotherapist, suffered numerous tragedies including loss of a limb, cancer, death of a loved one, and various other ailments. Throughout all of these physical and emotional losses and trials, the author served others as a psychotherapist. Throughout these difficult experiences, the author learned invaluable lessons from suffering and brought them into the consultation room along with his professional training.

The Social Organization of Sexuality, a report on the nation's most comprehensive representative survey of sexual behavior in the general population to date, finally offers that basic information. Conducted by a research team centered at the University of Chicago, the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) was designed to determine the incidence and prevalence of sexual practices and to place them in their social contexts. Based on personal interviews with a probability sample of 3,432 American women and men between the ages of 18 and 59, undertaken by the National Opinion Research Center, this study explores the extent to which sexual conduct and general attitudes toward sexuality are influenced by gender, age, marital status, and other demographic characteristics. The results of this survey both allow us to better understand how sexual behavior is organized in American society, and offer significant implications for policymakers struggling with many of the nation's crucial health problems. In exploring the rate of new partner formation, for example, the researchers discovered that about 80% of American adults had only one or no sexual partner in the past year. By concentrating AIDS awareness information on the 20% of the population that had two or more partners. AIDS strategists would be better able to target and persuade this segment of the population to modify their sexual behavior. Other topics covered by the survey include early sexual experiences, masturbation, contraception and fertility, abortion, sexual abuse, coercion, sexual health, satisfaction, and sexual dysfunction. A wide variety of sexual practices and preferences are also explored in the questionnaire, including specific questions on homosexual desire, identity, and behavior, the appeal of various sexual practices, and their frequency and incorporation into sexual lives.