Very Educational
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17 Jan, 2010I bought this book for class and found it to be one of the most interesting textbooks that I've ever read. I definitely recommend it and the seller. I think it would educate any age group.
Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity (7th Edition)
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30 Dec, 2009Order as a text book. Good condition, arrived soon, good price for a used textbook
Interesting Book
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2 Mar, 2009This book is very interesting. The textbook has a lot of information and is enjoyable to read.
Its sights were set maybe too high...
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11 Feb, 2009This text is a great overview of all things involving human sexuality. However I believe the piece suffers from trying to cover too much. It is very broad. But it works. Other complaints against it is the banter between the female author and the male authors--basically there are a lot of "typical male" and other such non-academic passages. Though not bad here and there, I felt there was too much and often (instead of being humorous)it came off as just annoying.
Questionably amateurish
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8 Dec, 2008My star rating may be a bit too harsh for a book that does indeed go and define human sexuality and the subjects therein, but when you're reading a textbook on the subject, you have to expect that even the most dismal and pathetic of textbooks would ever cover the subjects they are supposed to cover, or else they would never end up in a classroom.
Instead in this book, amidst the subject comes what screams to be amateurish writing, questionable facts, and just plain bad humor, occasionally used to mask the fact that the authors' touch on certain subjects they just don't know.
As I can't draw on every single example from memory, I'll deal with what examples I can:
- Tantric Sex: The authors know absolutely nothing about what tantric sex is. A "Q&A" section is opened up asking about it, and the authors proceed to ramble on incoherently, with such "things" as "it's like having a tantrum! Sorry, bad pun", before proceeding to say it's everything from yoga and meditation to lighting candles and receiving a massage. Ahem, NO, that is NOT what tantric sex is.
Fact: Tantric sex is a philosophy that combines Hindu spiritualism with indulgent sexuality. Saying that Tantric sex is "yoga, meditation, erotic massages, candles" is like saying this textbook is "words, pages, letters, ink, Times New Roman font, basketballs".
- Sex toys: The author very wrongly states that sex toys (ie, dildos and vibrators) are inherently unsafe if they penetrate. That must be why they sell millions of them without problem.
Fact: Penetrative sex toys are not "inherently unsafe" if you TAKE CARE OF THEM, the same with ANY object that enters your body. Virtually all sex toys have instructions for proper cleaning and storage, with most "kits" or stores that sell them also selling special cleaning solutions. On its own, if you're insane enough to leave a dildo in a dirty toilet for a few days, then pull it out, cough on it, and stick it inside you, good for you and try not to get sick. The authors aren't lying when they say penetrative sex toys can be dangerous; they're simply answering a different version of the question. It's the equivalent of asking "Can I learn how to pleasure my wife if I read this book?" and the answer being "You will know how to avoid getting pregnant, avoid STD's and STI's, and how pornography is okay to buy even if you're married".
Virtually every page or every other page attempts to "lighten" the subject matter with poor jokes that serve only to detract from the studies, as well as seeming to emphasize the prevailing idea when reading text like this that the study of human sexuality is a mockery, to always be accompanied by childish titters and snickers at the picture of a penis or a vagina during orgasm. There is nothing this book gives that couldn't be got more professionally elsewhere.
