Erotic encounters have been celebrated by artists from the beginning of time. This irresistible volume presents 120 of the most engagingly erotic paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings from diverse eras and cultures, coupled with revealing commentaries about their sexual and aesthetic content. Organised unlike any other collection of erotic images, The Art of Arousal traces the course of a sensual relationship. It begins by examining the elements of eroticism, and then progresses from flirtation and seduction through kisses and other foreplay before ultimately arriving at consummation and blissful exhaustion. The irrepressible Dr. Ruth explores every element of sexuality in these provocative works of art, including the pleasures of looking, creative fantasising, and the effects on male and female pleasure of the various positions depicted. All the works in this book have been chosen to meet two essential criteria: everyone portrayed must be having a good time, and each image must satisfy the high aesthetic standards of Dr. Ruth and an art historian friend, who writes with witty scholarship about the artistic and biographical aspects of these remarkable images. Now available in a revised edition that includes stimulating new works by contemporary creators, The Art of Arousal is the perfect gift for your lover who loves art.

The challenge is great. Despite all the talk about "family values," the family is besieged. The percentage of children living below the poverty line rose 49 percent from 1973 to 1992; American children are less likely to be immunized than those of any other developed nation; and many corporations still lag behind in areas such as maternity leave, while rewarding workers for long hours away from home. Moreover, the skyrocketing divorce rate and boom in the out-of-wedlock birth rate has relegated the "traditional family" to the realm of myth. Against this grim backdrop, Dr. Westheimer sees tremendous hope. She argues that the family is actually redefining itself in ways that will become more important - and more accepted - in the 21st Century. She points to changes in social attitudes and corporate and governmental policies that will allow for more unconventional but functioning family units, such as "step-" or "blended" families, and families headed by a gay single parent or couple. In addition, she sees generations pulling together for the sake of today's children, as more and more grandparents become active in their grandchildren's lives. In this book, help is available. Compiling an exhaustive list of family programs, resources, and self-help groups around the country and on the Internet, Dr. Westheimer tells parents how to get help for themselves and their children. And, sternly taking issue with new governmental legislation that claims to be "pro-family," she points our leaders in a bold new direction.

Dr. Ruth's new look at power and sex throughout history, both heterosexual and homosexual, covers the following intriguing topics: power and male sexual display; the harem, or power behind the scenes; female rulers and sexuality; women using sex to get power; (usually miserable) political alliances; biblical women; and even great romances. Here are John Kennedy, Aristotle Onassis, Jezebel, Samson and Delilah, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Heming; Cleopatra; Eleanor Roosevelt; and countless others in all their glory.

Author Biography:
Dr Ruth Westheimer, world-renowned psychosexual therapist, is the author of fiteen books. She lives in New York City. Amos Grunebaum, M.D. is Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York and Assistant Professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr Westheimer, known to millions as Dr. Ruth, has written this comprehensive guide to 'grandparenting' with the assistance of Dr. Kaplan, showing grandparents of all ages and backgrounds how to develop a more rewarding bond with their grandchildren.
Topics covered include:
*how to establish a relationship
*managing visits
*suggestions for new and unusual activities
*giving presents.
Dr. Ruth and Dr. Kaplan also address the increasingly common situations of divorce, non-traditional families, and what happens when the grandparent becomes the parent.

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Along with moving personal reflections, Dr. Ruth Westheimer presents passionate, groundbreaking ideas for helping the American family survive. In her own inimitable style, Dr. Westheimer shows that families are under siege, explains why the definition of family is at a historical turning point, and, together with coauthor Ben Yagoda, offers insightful and hopeful ideas for the future.