Sex Outside Book Round Up: Part I
There are multitudes of books out there written with sex in mind. But as with every genre and topic, some are done exceptionally well or shine a light on conversations not held often enough. That’s why we’re starting a round up of books focused on sex, sexuality, and gender authored by a wide-range of perspectives, identities, and lived experiences.
Take a look at the list below and you might just find your next favorite read!
Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good
by adrienne maree brown
How do we make social justice the most pleasurable human experience? How can we awaken within ourselves desires that make it impossible to settle for anything less than a fulfilling life? Editor adrienne maree brown finds the answer in something she calls “pleasure activism,” a politics of healing and happiness that explodes the dour myth that changing the world is just another form of work.
Life As A Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything In Between
by Amrou Al-Kadhi
Life as a Unicorn is a hilarious yet devastating story of a search for belonging, following the painful and surprising process of transforming from a god-fearing Muslim boy to a queer drag queen, strutting the stage in seven-inch heels and saying the things nobody else dares to.
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex
by Angela Chen
What exactly is sexual attraction and what is it like to go through the world not experiencing it? What does asexuality reveal about consent, about compromise, about the structures of society? This exceedingly accessible guide to asexuality shows that the issues that aces face—confusion around sexual activity, the intersection of sexuality and identity, navigating different needs in relationships—are conflicts that all of us need to address as we move through the world.
The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love
by Sonya Renee Taylor
The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world--for us all.
Bang: Masturbation for People of All Genders & Abilities
by Vic Lu
This straightforward, unapologetic illustrated guide to self-pleasure will teach you what you need to know to get to know your own body. This inclusive manual covers basic anatomy, techniques, mindsets, orgasms, troubleshooting, and a wide range of the tools and toys. There are sections on debunking myths, exploring your body for the first time, sex toys, tips from trans people for trans people, and a section on masturbating when you have a physical disability and a caretaker that’s written by disabled folks. You’ll also learn about the history of anti-masturbation stigma, some thought-provoking data, and how to teach your kids healthy attitudes toward masturbation.
The Handi Book of Love, Lust, & Disability
by Jess Tarpey, Andrew Gurza, & Katy Venables
The Handi Book of Love, Lust and Disability' unearths new conversations on sex, relationships and disability. It's beautifully designed and full of raw, powerful and inspiring stories, poetry and artwork from 50 phenomenal contributors from the disabled community.
Come As You Are: The surprising New Science that will Transform Your Sex Life
by Emily Nagoski
Cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines tells us that the most important factor for women in creating and sustaining a fulfilling sex life, is not what you do in bed or how you do it, but how you feel about it. Which means that stress, mood, trust, and body image are not peripheral factors in a woman’s sexual wellbeing; they are central to it. Once you understand these factors, and how to influence them, you can create for yourself better sex and more profound pleasure than you ever thought possible.
Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis
by Emily Willingham
Phallacy looks closely at some of nature's more remarkable examples of penises and the many lessons to learn from them. In tracing how we ended up positioning our nondescript penis as a pulsing, awe-inspiring shaft of all masculinity and human dominance.
Emphasizing our human capacities for impulse control, Phallacy ultimately challenges the message that the penis makes the man and the man can't control himself. With instructive illustrations of unusual genitalia and tales of animal mating rituals Phallacy shows where humans fit on the continuum from fun to fatal phalli and why the human penis is an implement for intimacy, not intimidation.
What other sexuality and gender books would you recommend?